Royal Blood
by Q u e e n V a m p
Summary: He is Zero Kuruizaki, Pureblood, elder brother to Ichiru and Maria, son of Shizuka. When his clan kills the Kiryuu hunters it starts a chain of events that could be the end of him and it all starts when he meets her, Yuuki Kuran. /Warning OOC OnHold/
1. Coven

**Okay I was talking to one of my FanFiction buddies -ApocalypticDisaster- and then I told her about my idea of Maria, Ichiru and Zero being Shizuka's children, then we both liked the idea and I started typing.**

**First and foremost Kuruizaki is Shizuka's last-name and in this story she had a brother/husband and I dubbed him Iruka, which means gem, or something along the lines of that.**

* * *

For centuries the vampire world was been under the thumbs of the two largest of the Pureblood vampire families, the Kuran and the Kuruizaki.

The Kuruizaki-hime amazed the vampire council when she presented her three children: Zero, Ichiru and Maria, to the world. All were so beautiful with stunning violet eyes and silver hair, their violent and reckless nature –that they had inherited from their mother- shown through when they slaughtered the clan of hunters who killed their father.

The Kuran family was sure to give their children, Kaname and Yuuki, a more peaceful outlook on their eternal life by befriending the vampire council and Hunter's Association. The brown haired, crimsoned eyed offspring of this family were quiet and liked to keep to themselves, but were as dangerous as the Kuruizaki clan when the time was needed.

These two vampire families looked upon each other bitterly and refused to have anything to do with each other, and silently they wished for the other to die off so more power and wealth would be granted to their family.

But their leaders shared one thing in common: they loved their children dearly and would do anything for them.

**~X~**

Maria, the youngest daughter of Kuruizaki Shizuka Hio, danced around the maze in their large estate with her twin brothers, Ichiru and Zero, chasing after her. Following them were their parents, Shizuka and Iruka Kuruizaki, laughing as they were joined hand and hand. The calm night loomed over them; stars twinkling the moon full like an eight month belly.

"Catch me if you can!" Fourteen year old Maria called out, her long silver hair trailed behind her like a veil.

"I think Ichiru would be good for our little Maria." Iruka stated Shizuka swatted her husband's shoulder.

"Do you deny Zero? Maria is his birthright, he being the first born and all."

"No, my darling, Maria is our spitfire princess and Zero is our ruthless prince, their personalities will clash and although they do get along –and jokingly plan world domination- Ichiru is softer, calmer he'll help Maria become gentler and be a mother when the time comes."

Shizuka sighed and snuggled closer to Iruka. "Spoken like a true poet, did you print that in one of your novels?"

"No," Iruka laughed. "But it'll make a great story." The couple turned their attention back to their children to see that fifteen year old Ichiru had caught Maria around the waist.

"The sad thing is…we have two males and one female, they'll want Maria to take two husbands." Iruka sighed. "How could they ruin something that beautiful?"

"She's my daughter, she can handle her brothers." Shizuka commented. Maria had already started feeding from both of her brothers since she turned thirteen, thinking herself older because of her growing need for her brother's blood.

"Yes, but will it be fair to Ichiru and Zero?" Shizuka met the violet eyes of Iruka and he frowned. "They are already upset that she's been feeding from both of them. There will to win her could end them both, Shizuka, you must see that." Shizuka looked back at her children.

Both Zero and Ichiru were skilled with swords and other medieval weapons of destruction; they could kill each other without much effort and what then? Maria would be left alone with no brothers or fiancé and she'd blame herself for it all.

That couldn't happen; they all had to stay alive. After three decades the Kuruizaki's were finally the largest Pureblood family and their children out shined the Kuran's offspring, they had to win; they had to be the royal family.

"I think…we should let things run their course, Zero loves his sister but he needs someone who will need him and ask for his protection." Shizuka finally decided. Iruka ran his fingers through his wife's long snow white hair.

"Sara Shirabuki-hime then?" He asked casually. Shizuka turned her pink eyed glare at him.

"She touches my son I will have to decapitate her, Iruka." Iruka bursted out laughing, catching the attention of his family.

"What's so funny, Otou-sama?" Zero called. Iruka smiled at his son and earned a look of confusion from all three of them.

"Nothing children,"

**Kuran**

"Yuuki," Kaname called out for his sister, he opened the door to her basement room and spotted his beautiful thirteen year old sister, sitting on the couch reading. It was a book of the world, with pictures of the outside, something Yuuki longed to see.

"Yuuki," Kaname called again. His sister finally looked up at him, her warm brown eyes burning with the same intensity of the sun; she was either upset or angry.

"Onii-sama," she whispered, shutting the book she walked over to her brother's side and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Where are Otou-sama and Okaa-sama?"

"They're tired from their trip and want to rest...Yuuki, why are you upset?" When he saw his sister's eyes flash a crimson, he knew he did something wrong.

"Do you have to ask, Onii-sama?" She pushed him away and turned back to face the opposite wall. "The only outside connection I have with the world are my books and I want to see the real thing."

"Yuuki it is too dangerous, the Kuruizaki clan-" Kaname began but his usually gentle sister had had enough of it.

"I know the Kuruizaki clan will not hesitate to kill me. Being cooped up in here is _worse _than being dead." Yuuki turned back to her brother and gripped the fabric of his shirt. "Onii-sama…please I beg of you," her voice softened and she rested her chin on her brother's collarbone and looked up at him. "Please speak with Otou-sama and Okaa-sama about my freedom. I want to go with my family to the parties and see the snow you tell me about, I want to live."

Kaname looked down at his sister; he could see tears start to glass over her beautiful eyes. How could he deny his sister's wish?

He lovingly brushed a tear away from her eye and embraced her. "I will talk to them, I promise." Yuuki smiled and suddenly kissed her brother's full mouth. Before Kaname could react she pulled away and laughed at the want written across her brother's face.

"You'll have to work for it." She teased pulling away from her brother and then landing promptly on the couch and retrieved her book from the coffee table and continued reading, like Kaname had never even came in.

Kaname smiled at his sister and retreated back up the staircase from the basement. How would Juuri and Haruka react? Of course they wanted Yuuki to go outside but they feared that Rido Kuran, their older brother, would try to kill her. Though Rido has been having different ambitions lately, mainly involving his half-blooded son, the Kuran family was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Before long Kaname found himself standing outside the tall wooden door to Juuri and Haruka's room, he raised his hand to knock and fixed his best poker face into place. _Here goes nothing._


	2. Death

"The innocent times are over…" Shizuka whispered to her children earlier that night when they stood outside of the large, white mansion belonging to the Kiryuu hunters.

The Kuruizaki family, or what remained of it, watched the dead or dying hunters at their feet. Shizuka cornered the head of the family, the ones who did the deadly deed, in their bedroom and allow her children to attack whoever else was in the house.

They had been lucky, they'd picked a night of a gathering and all the Kiryuu hunters were present.

They had not begged for their lives, like a normal human would, they'd kept their dignity as hunters and fought till their last breath at the hands of the Purebloods.

Shizuka's children killed with hatred pulsing through their veins. Angered that their father was murdered by this clan -who had been celebrating the birth of their leader's first child, a female named Kyra, only moments ago- and had his blood drained from his body to be drunk by them to allow the Kiryuu hunters longer lives. So as Iruka's children drained the life blood from the monsters they also absorbed their father's power.

Shizuka stared at the newborn in her crib, asleep and unaware of the massacre taking place. "Get…Get away from her…" Gasped Kyra's cousin, Zuko. He'd gone to his uncle's room to fetch his baby cousin, but was taken by surprise when he saw Shizuka Hio and the dead bodies of his uncle and aunt.

"Okaa-sama~" A sing-a-song voice chirped. Maria, Shizuka's daughter, walked in her long silver hair was drawn back with a ribbon and she wore a kimono similar to her mother's, including the fact that it was covered with blood. "Ichiru and Zero are finishing up their dinner down the hall," The young Pureblood's gaze dropped to Zuko dying on the floor. "Hmm," She lowered her hand to Zuko limp body and lifted him up, after examining him for a moment she spoke. "He'd make a good servant, strong and helps that he has a nice face."

The hunter wondered how someone so beautiful, could be so evil. He met the Pureblood's violet eyes with his green ones and the Pureblood's aura became enraged. With a snap of her wrist he was thrown across the room and slammed hard against the wall.

"Though he'll need an attitude check," Maria smiled as she stalked towards him.

"Maria, no playing with your food, we have no use for servants, we'll take the young one and go." Maria turned to her mother in shock to see her holding the young hunter in her arms.

"Yes Okaa-sama, I'm sorry." Maria bobbed her head to the older Pureblood and Shizuka left without another word, and then she turned her attention back to her snack. She cupped his face in her hands and smiled seductively, she bent down so her face was leveled with his. "Too bad, I would have loved making you jump through hoops for me." She licked the long gash on the side of his face.

"Don't toy with me." He growled. Maria smiled and gripped his curly, sand blond hair.

"I won't let your life go to waste; you consumed a lot of my father's blood. I will become Queen someday so his life blood will help me achieve that goal." She pulled at his hair and made his neck come to an arch. "Such a shame, you were in your prime of years too." Then she barred her sharp fangs into his throat.

Zero and Ichiru watched as the hunter squirmed with the venom of a Pureblood flowing through its veins, cheap entertainment; only to see her suffer. Zero had ripped at the throats of the hunters with glee; loving to see the clan that had so proudly killed his father crumble at his feet.

Like his mother said "_You are not Pureblood royalty until you use your fangs on humans,"_

A prince, he was a Pureblood royalty now.

He didn't know if it was the glory of the moment or the overdose of his father's Pureblood blood mixed with hunter's, but he threw his head back and laughed. His younger twin stared at him like he had gone mad and flashed his fangs, still in a feral blood gutted state the twins would normally fight after a feast either for their sister's attention or the last D class vampire in the cellar of their mansion home.

Zero caught sight of his twin's stance and his eyes darted to the ex-human in the corner of the room. "I'm full," he declared, whipping his mouth with the sleeve of his dark blue shirt. He moved out of the room and down the corridor to meet up with his mother and sister.

Ichiru watched as the hunter squirm across the floor from a couch in the room. Suddenly she became still and clutched her throat as the burning sensation of hunger took over, but Ichiru was too deep in thought to notice.

His elder brother had left him to finish his meal in peace, but he worried it was just another trap. It was Zero's venom in the newly made vampire's body, but Ichiru had taken a bite out of her as well.

Finally he noticed the dark haired girl's glare from the ground where she sat, her nimble body quivering from pain and fear.

"How…could you?" She gasped clutching her burning throat she made an attempt to stand.

Ichiru outstretched a hand towards the girl and smiled at her. "Come here." His voice drifted like a song through her ears and she found that she could do nothing but obey him. The hunter knew what was coming next and she felt grateful she'd die and be with the rest of her family, and not be damned like these creatures who called themselves royalty.

**~X~**

Word had spread fast about the Kuruizaki's slaughter of the Kiryuu hunter clan. They were both rejected and adored at the same time. Whenever they went to a gathering now the Nobles could feel the power of Iruka-sama's blood waving off them in violent lashes of power that told the Noble's their stand in society.

Shizuka painted her lips red like blood, proudly when she confessed her deed to the Council. Zero, Ichiru and Maria at their mother's side ready to snap at anyone who spoke a bad word about them.

"Shizuka-sama your behavior and ideas of revenge do not please the Council." Ichiou commented.

"My family and I killed the hunter clan who viciously murdered a Pureblood, I believe you should be thanking us." Zero stated dryly his eyes locked with the Kuran's Pureblood Prince sitting across the room. _I wonder if he ever killed anyone._

"They killed my husband, my brother, my children's father. We were only doing what we thought fitting." Shizuka said, running her fingers through her long white hair like Iruka once did. "The Kiryuu clan also took Iruka's blood, those vile mortals…"

"It was reckless and stupid attack that could have killed you all." Kaname shot back, standing from his chair. "True our families are rivals, but we cannot risk losing anyone. Especially now."

"Aw, you're no fun Kaname-kun." Maria whined as she played with the tips of Ichiru's hair.

"Maria-sama, have you chosen your husband yet?" Ichiou changed the topic and caught the entire Council off guard. Maria's violet eyes narrowed.

"Ichijou you snake," She quipped. "You know I've chosen Ichiru."

Ichiou frowned at the young princess. "Ah, the princess chooses younger brother of the clan, where have I heard this story before?" His seaweed eyes darted over to Kaname, who glared viscously back.

"Ichijou-san, I take offence." Kaname retorted, sitting back down.

"My apologizes, Kaname-san." Ichiou said quickly, not even meaning it. "Shizuka-sama I can see that you will be proud of your decision no matter what, so it is useless too speak with you now."

"Yes it is," Shizuka said examining the length of her nails a bit too well.

"I'd like to talk to you about your current state."

"What 'current state'?" Shizuka looked up and once she met Ichiou's eyes she knew what was coming. "Maria, Zero, Ichiru please step outside for a moment." The siblings all looked at each other than back at their mother.

"Only if Kaname-kun will step out as well," Maria said. Kaname, not wanting to get caught in Shizuka Hio's ranting fury, stood from his chair and followed the Kuruizaki children out the double doors.

As usual, since the first day he met them, they all hung together in a tightly knit group in the dead middle of the hallway. Maria stood in the middle flanked by her brothers' and all of them had a serene, yet fiery aura to them. Maria smiled and skipped towards Kaname as he let the door shut behind him.

"Kaname-kun, I heard you too are betrothed." Kaname's eyes narrowed. _How did this girl-woman get a hold of such gossip?_

Well she was a firm believer in their family's pact to utterly loath each other for all eternity, and she was always looking for her advance in the battleground that was their world.

"Not betrothed, engaged. Betrothed is a long way from engaged." Maria clapped her hands together under her chin and tried to smile sweetly, yet her lips curled too much and that was a sure sign that she was angered by him correcting her.

"To whom?" She asked. Kaname fell silent and then he smelled her, his darling sister was coming down the corridor, alone.

"Kaname," His head whipped around to see fifteen year old Yuuki moving down the hallway with grace that would put angels to shame. Her hair was arranged in perfect ringlets that bounced when she walked. The dress she wore was knee low, dark green dress. The dress exposed only her collarbone and had sleeves that stopped at her knuckles.

Kaname met her halfway, almost eager to put distance between him and the Kuruizaki children. Yuuki smiled at Kaname and interlocked their fingers once she was close enough to him. Kaname dropped a kiss on her cheek.

"Kaname-kun," Maria half-hissed, half-purred. Yuuki looked around her brother to see a short, silver haired violet eyed Pureblood female. Looking past her she saw two more of them -twins- only they were male and taller.

Kuruizaki Purebloods, an old sense told her. Yuuki's brown eyes widened and Kaname turned so that Yuuki was standing right beside him.

"Yuuki, this is Maria, Ichiru and Zero Kuruizaki." Yuuki forced a small smile at the three new Purebloods and the female stepped forward again, getting so close that the skirts of their dresses brushed.

"Yuuki, such a pretty name…" Maria cooed twisting a strand of Yuuki's long curls around her finger. "Always such an honor to meet another Pureblood, another princess," The last part seemed to be spat out. Obviously Maria didn't like competition.

Maria's violet eyes narrowed a bit and her nose scrunched. "Kuran," Maria took a swift step away from Yuuki, turning back to the two boys, her hair flaring out around her almost whipping Yuuki in the face.

Yuuki was taken aback by her actions, but judging by her sibling's and Kaname's faces this was normal Maria Kuruizaki behavior.

"I wasn't aware the Kuran clan had a daughter," said the boy with the longer, silver hair as he draped his arm around Maria's shoulder, holding her closer to him.

"Sadly, Ichiru, when Yuuki was born her health and chances of living where very slim, so we had to move to a more remote place so we wouldn't be bothered by the Council." Kaname lied.

"Hn," The boy, Ichiru, said. "And we thought you were hiding from us Kaname-kun. We look forward to getting to know you better Yuuki-chan." Yuuki saw Maria dig her nails into Ichiru's arm and she knew that wouldn't be an option.

"Kaname-san," said the other twin, –who she guessed to be Zero. "Is Yuuki your…fiancée?" He gestured to Yuuki like he was offering his wrist to her, his eyes locked with hers, practically daring her to look away.

Yuuki immediately decided she didn't like any of these new people. They were too stuck in the old feud to even consider sharing the power. Their violet eyes and powerful aura made her think of slaughter and wars. Anything bad and evil in this world came to mind when she looked into the violet orbs of the young royals.

"Yes," Kaname pulled Yuuki a little closer to him. "Yuuki and I have been engaged since she was born." Zero nodded his head, breaking eye contact with Yuuki for a moment; she saw a small smirk on his face.

"Ah, it was one of _those _engagements; she was born to be your wife then? She was never asked, it was only assumed?"

The light above Zero's head cracked into millions of tiny pieces. "Zero…" Maria jerked around to look at her other brother, in time to see him sidestep the glass shower. Moving closer towards Yuuki and missing the large wooden door of the Council room as it was swung open abruptly.

"I don't have to listen to this nonsense!" Shizuka Hio snarled. The sound of the Council's mash of voices followed as most of them came tumbling out of the room after her.

"Mother…?" Maria watched as Shizuka tore down the corridor. Ichiru tugged at Maria's arm.

"Come on, we have to calm her down." He muttered, and then turned to smile at Yuuki. "It's was nice meeting you." The couple started down the hallway and Yuuki looked up at Zero, still standing in front of her.

"Go follow your family, Kuruizaki-san." Kaname said coldly. Zero rolled his eyes and took Yuuki's hand in his.

"Sorry for offending you, Yuuki-chan." He quickly dropped a kiss on her hand and turned to catch up with his family.


	3. Forbidden

"The nerve of him," Kaname snarled later on that night to his best friend, Takuma Ichijou. "He kissed her hand. A Pureblood female is not suppose to be kissed by anyone other than her fiancé."

Takuma nodded and handed his friend a glass of blood tablet mix. To say the least he was shocked that someone could actually get to the calm Kaname just by simply breathing.

"Kuruizaki Zero is more rebel than Ichiru and a very likable person. He could raise an army against you, Kaname, he's a liable alley."

"Likable? How?" Kaname tried not to snort.

"Well, he broke down Ruka's defenses. What does that tell you?" Takuma asked.

"He's taking mistresses?" Kaname arched an eyebrow and took a drink from the glass.

"Maria-sama has chosen Ichiru-sama and they decided to live together peacefully, whereas Zero-sama continues the grudge with you."

"Hmm, so he'll be looking for a wife."

"Yes, and it isn't going to be Sara-sama." Takuma laughed at his joke. "It's weird though, in all our history books it clearly states that the Kuran and the Kuruizaki were once allies. Kaname, you were a one of the first few Purebloods to enter the world. What happened?" Takuma had begged for answers from Kaname many times before, but Kaname –being the older more experienced vampire he was- always denied him the truth.

"If I tell you will you help me find a way to protect Yuuki from Zero?" Kaname grumbled. Takuma hesitated for a moment then smiled.

"Yes,"

"Alright then." Kaname stared at the ceiling for a moment then closed his eyes in deep thought. "Where to begin, where did it begin." He murmured to himself. "It was the early 1200s in Japan and everyone was at an uproar after Etsu Shirabuki –that would be Sara's great aunt- was murdered. The Hunter's Association was not yet established and humans killing vampires was just a troublesome rumor. I remember the day that meeting was called, horrible day. It was storming out and when I got there everyone was staring at me like they thought I was the one who killed Etsu-san. The Council had been battering around the idea of me marrying Etsu once before, but when Etsu married her cousin, Hide, and gave birth to two health children it was all long forgotten.

"I remember sitting next to Haru Kuruizaki during the meeting, we talked and kept glancing at the other Purebloods in the room who had yet to tell us their alibi for the day Etsu died. We were friends, I guess you could say, but we were also rivals one of us always trying to outshine the other. When it was my turn to speak Haru had this nervous look to him, like he was about to do something he really didn't want to do. I told the Council I was at the Kuruizaki mansion talking over business with Haru and when they asked Haru to confirm it…he didn't." Kaname paused for a moment and Takuma could hear Kaname grinding his teeth together to stop his fangs from drawing at his fury.

"Then I was accused of killing Etsu and later on when I confronted Haru about it, he told me he kill Etsu and when I was in shock he tried to kill me. I wish I could say I refused to fight my friend and that we worked it out and became friends again but…we didn't and I almost killed Haru because I was stronger than he was. He told people I tried to murder him too, he played the perfect victim and we were the talk of the century. Soon after that I faked my own death and left my birthright to my brother and sisters. What I didn't know –until I was rudely awakened- is that they also carried out a grudge with the Kuruizaki clan. So as far as the story goes the Kuran's and Kuruizaki's haven't been able to be in the same room with one another without some sort of reminder or fight of that day."

"That seems very out of character of you."

"I know, it was my first life I was young, I didn't know the world the way I do now."

"But you were at a meeting with Shizuka Hio today and nothing happened, my grandfather didn't see anything happen." Takuma protested.

"When we got in the hallway things got awkward. Maria was being rather flirtatious. See it's the females who egg all this on." Kaname grumbled. "I bet it was my sisters, Gin and Ai, who pick a fight with Haru's sister Iku."

Takuma laughed. "Girls will do that."

"I know, now what shall I do to the bastard who reminds me so much of Haru who destroyed my life." Kaname said feeling very uncharacteristic, but his mind was clouded over with ways to kill the Haru look-a-like.

**Kuruizaki**

"You were drooling over her." Maria stated in the car during the drive home. Their mother had abandoned them at the Council meeting so after deciding they'd find her later the three Kuruizaki children headed on home. Ichiru had fallen asleep in the seat next to Maria's and Zero knew that nothing, absolutely nothing could wake Ichiru up when he was this tired. Not even the nagging Maria.

"What do you care?" Zero grumbled. "You're _engaged_ to Ichiru."

Maria was silent for a moment then her face turned to a look of fury. "Is that what you're so sour about? You're still my brother and I love you and I don't want you dating, thinking or getting _involved _with the Kuran clan." Maria spat venomously.

Zero rolled his eyes and continued his longing gaze out the window. "You have a sick mind, little sister."

"Oh shut up."

"Don't have to."

"I _command_ you to."

"Yeah, I'm not a Noble that doesn't work."

"Shut. Up."

"Shut doesn't go up."

"That's the oldest one in the book."

"Actually it's new."

"Again I say: shut up, my dearest brother."

Zero's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, from his seat in the limo, toward Maria a smirk playing on his lips. "Make. Me."

Maria wrapped her small fingers around the collar of her brother's shirt, pulling him towards her as she slammed her lips against his in a harsh kiss. Smugly, she began to pull away when Zero was unresponsive, but a long arm wrapped itself around her waist, pressing her against the elder boy's chest as he attacked her lips, kissing the girl hungrily as one hand twisted in her long silver hair, keeping her in place.

Unconsciously, Maria gripped both of Zero's strong arms, pulling him closer as his tongue went out the lick the girls lips, asking her for admission, when she teased him by declining, he bit down on her lip. The bite wasn't hard enough to draw blood, but it was enough to make her gasp, opening her mouth and Zero wasted no time slipping his tongue through her open lips and started searching her mouth. He slid his tongue over her teeth and a low moan escaped her throat as he massaged her fangs.

Their breathing was erratic as Maria lightly dug her nails into her brother's arms, holding onto him, and causing him to groan in response.

The two broke apart, panting as Zero rested his head against the small shoulder that belonged to his younger sister, a small smirk on his handsome face as he listened to Maria's wild heartbeats.

Ichiru was still fast asleep at Maria's side, his arm draped around the chair she was leaning back in. Maria had been teasing Zero lately, telling people she choose Ichiru over Zero, spending more time with Ichiru, _kissing _Ichiru but not Zero and above all ignoring him.

"You've been ignoring me." Zero said tauntingly, he turned his head so his face was in the crook of Maria's neck. Maria's breathing hitched and she gripped Zero's shoulder.

"Ichiru is here." She murmured. Zero's gaze flickered to his sleeping brother then back to the cream colored flesh of Maria's neck, he ran his tongue along the hollow of it and Maria's neck came to an arch.

"I'm aware of that." His fangs lightly nipped at her skin and Maria stifled a groan. Zero smirked and pulled away from his sister and resumed his former stance; leaving Maria blushed red at the edge of her seat. "I'll find you later," he smiled at her with his gaze directly on her neck.

Maria flipped her hair forward and leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "Humph, we'll see about that."

"That's what you always say." Zero reminded her.

"Shut up." She growled, looking away. This time Zero happily obliged.

* * *

**ApocalypticDisaster wrote the make-out scene not me. I'm still very shy about those parts….though I do like reading them ;P **


	4. Precious

Through his peripheral vision Zero spotted Maria and Ichiru entering the ballroom as well, hand and hand.

Maria was dressed in a full skirted, white gown that she had tailored to stop just below her knee and a halter to wrap around her neck with a white ribbon with a diamond pinned on to it. Her long silver hair was pulled into a bun decorated with pearl combs and a diamond studded headband. Her make-up had been simple and she'd had asked Zero to approve it for her; white eye shadow and pale pink lip gloss. On her gloveless fingers she wore a pure white gold, pearl engagement ring.

Ichiru was too dressed in white; a white waist coat with a long tail, pleaded pants and shoes. All white, like this was their wedding day. But it was worse; it was their engagement party, where everything was final.

The Kuruizaki Prince didn't want to be alone on this day where people practically threw a party for his failure. He scanned the crowds until he found the person he was looking for: Ruka Souen. He stayed hidden on the upper gallery of the ballroom floor a bit longer and continued to observe her.

Her long wheat field colored hair was pulled into a twist that allowed her bangs to hang in her face. Zero frowned at this, she obviously wasn't expecting him to show up, and if she was she would have worn her hair down. He liked her long hair and to add to that he loved to pull it back when his fangs sunk into her neck.

Relishing the thoughts of blood his mind wondered back to his sister. Liquid fire flowed through her veins and it had to be the best blood he ever tasted, but it never fully satisfied him. She wasn't meant for him, -he knew that just by seeing Ichiru on her arm- but still she was born for him, wasn't that enough?

Of course, a Pureblood's presence is never hidden too long and Ruka turned around to smile up at him. Zero smiled lazily back and started for the stairs so he could meet her on the dance floor. Not standing too far away were Ruka's parents Lord and Lady Souen. Zero had met them before and they just seemed to love the idea of marrying into a Pureblood family, but Zero wouldn't let it get that far, he never did.

"Ruka," He took her hand and pulled her closer to him so he could plant a kiss on her cheek. "Happy Birthday."

"Shh, Zero-kun, it's Maria-san's day." She muttered jerking back from his small show of affection.

"Please drop the horrific, your with me no one will touch you. Besides your seventeen today," Ruka rolled her eyes and Zero smiled. "You're not going to look any older, even if you were human your still look beautiful; it's what your name means anyway."

Ruka blushed a little and Zero smiled, it was rare that he smiled and actually meant it, but having a new woman to court always brought out the better side of him. As he led her towards the dance floor he spun her around once before leading her in a waltz.

Then he spotted Ichijou Takuma in the corner of the room and his eyes narrowed. Ruka followed his gaze. "What is it?"

"What's Ichiou's grandson doing here? I thought his loyalty lied with Kuran."

"Oh, Ichijou-san is Sara-sama's escort." Zero smirked and spun Ruka around again. "I know what you're thinking and it's not like that." Ruka softly scolded. "They're good friends."

"Yes, and we were 'good friends', but that didn't last long. Also Takuma's neck has bite marks on it."

"What?" Ruka tried to crane her head around so she could get a better look but Zero jerked her a bit.

"Hey, thank is not how you spy on someone."

"Sorry, it's just Ichijou-san is my friend and I don't want anything to happen to him."

"Don't worry. Purebloods have many lovers and each one they hold precious. She'll keep him alive and when the time comes she'll put him down as gently as possible, though Sara-san is not known for her gentle nature..." Ruka suddenly froze and Zero stopped moving too.

"Is that what's going to happen to me?" Zero eyes softened and Ruka looked away from him. His eyes darted back to the marble stairs and the upper gallery leading to the room he had changed in.

"Come on," He tugged her hand and without any protest she followed. The Souen family spared a glance when they saw their prized daughter being led away by a man. Her father murmured something to her mother, whose response was elbowing her husband and saying something that made him blush.

Zero shut the door firmly behind him and turned to the Noblewoman in his room.

"I'm one of many?" Ruka asked again. Zero stalked towards her and against Ruka's better judgment she smacked him, but his head didn't snap sideways like it was suppose to. He was stronger than her and he could killer her if he wanted and no one would seek revenge; no one, except Akatsuki Kain, her childhood friend who never liked Zero one bit.

When Ruka's thoughts were wrapped up in Kain, Zero's arms closed around her in an embrace, pulling her almost off the ground completely.

"Ruka…you don't love me, you love Akatsuki you're meant to be with him. I didn't want to do this on your birthday; it's a special day to you, but now that I've said what I said I don't think I can avoid it."

"Zero-sama…"

"And you don't need me, and I can't get too attached to you. The Council wants me married to another Pureblood." Tears welled up in Ruka's eyes.

"You defy them all the time, you can do it again!" Zero held Ruka closer against his chest.

"Do you remember Amu Kurenai, my distant cousin? She was my everything, a little before the time of my father's death and in the dark times when everyone in my family was paired up, she loved me. The Council knew I was getting serious about her and do you know what they did?"

"They never found her ashes." Ruka murmured. Zero smiled at little.

"I'm not going to go through that again and you are too precious, Ruka, you deserve better." Ruka looked up at Zero with a blank expression.

"Way to set me down gently."

"I'm trying here and at least you didn't burst into tears."

"Crying on the inside."

"That's my girl," Zero petted her long hair and there was a long silence.

"It's my birthday…and if I promise it'll be over after tonight…can I stay with you?" Zero pulled away from Ruka and cupped her face in his hands.

"No," Giving her a kiss on the forehead he stepped away from her and left the room through the other door.

**~X~**

Zero's servants had finished packing up the last of his traveling clothes and hauled them out to the car. Ichiru was asleep in his bedroom and Maria was on the staircase, face in hands still in her engagement gown, ready to burst into tears. Zero was reluctant to go downstairs, but there was only one staircase and one door, Maria had him cornered.

"Onii-sama," Maria sobbed, she only addressed Zero like that when she was really upset, on the verge of balling her eyes out until she created a new English Channel. "My Onii-sama…" She was going to drive herself mad if she continued to fall to this state.

"Maria," Zero said dryly, hoping to get her attention.

"Zero-onii-sama!" Maria flung herself into Zero's arms and started sobbing. Zero smoothed her silver hair and tried to calm her down. "Otou-sama is dead, Okaa-sama is missing and now my Onii-sama is leaving…I'm losing my family."

"Maria you're not losing anyone, I'm going to piece this all back together and in order to do that I must leave."

Maria smirked. "Makes no sense to me," I loud cry rang through the house and Maria let out an irritated growl and turned toward the source of the noise. "No one can get any sleep around here when that little brat won't shut up!" The servants rushed into young Kyra's room only to be scolded further. "Oh don't come running, she's spoiled with affection! She's our prisoner and lower in the pecking order than you!"

Zero grabbed his sister's shoulder. "Maria you and Ichiru are in charge of the house until I get back, I'll be in touch and if Okaa-sama comes back I'll need you to inform me." Maria's eyes softened.

"Is this practice for the future? When Ichiru and I are married and you can't be with us all the time?" Zero sighed.

"I can't always be here; you'll have Ichiru begging for a divorce within a few months of your marriage." Zero laughed dryly and started for the door.

"Onii-sama, would you stay if I choose you?" Maria asked.

"Not even then." Zero didn't turn back.

"Can I come with you?"

"No. What's done is done. You stay with your fiancé and you let me go." Zero shut the large door behind him and heard Maria run up the stairs.

_God I can't do anything without making someone cry today. _He climbed into the limo and sped off into the night.

**Kuran**

"Yuuki," Juuri smiled at her daughter, as she crept behind her in the living room chair. "I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?" Yuuki turned around, expecting to see some sort of gift, but instead met a packet of papers…papers to Cross Academy! "Oh! Okaa-sama!" Yuuki jumped from her chair and hugged her mother tightly.

"Hm, I got the packet from Cross Kaien –an old friend of mine- he said he was opening up a night class and really needs a few Purebloods to register and maybe some Nobles and the others will follow." Juuri explained only to receive a tighter hug from her daughter.

"Yes! I'll register!"

"And Kaname-kun will be joining you." Haruka added, only to get a frown from Yuuki.

"Otou-sama, I love Kaname-onii-sama, I really do, but can't I do anything on my own? Please? Ever since I've been out in the world either Kaname or one of you have been piggyback riding on to it. How can I become independent if I can't get the chance to be on my own?"

"Oh, this conversation brings back memories." Juuri sighed. "Haruka, I'm standing by my daughter on this."

"Yes this does, you didn't want me to follow you to school either, but then again you didn't love me then like Yuuki loves Kaname now. But I can't shake the Kuruizaki's or Rido from my mind." Haruka decided.

Juuri leaned down and whispered in her daughter's ear. "Don't worry, you'll be going by yourself, I'll _make_ him agree." Yuuki winked back at her mother and took the packet before retreading to her room.

Onii-sama will be upset but she wanted to do this herself, how could she ever become more like her mother if she always has Kaname to take care the bad things in life for her?


	5. Academy

The smell of humans was in the air, young females. Zero smiled to himself as he remembered a Count Dracula reference that Ruka had once used on him.

He sighed and tried to think up the pros and cons list he'd though up earlier about breaking it off with her, most of them contemplating the Council and Ruka's safety, or moreover Maria. No one wanted to see, hear or know about what Maria looked like when she was angry about something.

The Kuruizaki's weren't known for their masked facial expressions, if anything they show their emotions and wore them with pride. That's why most Nobles liked them better, the seemed easier to talk too, but still the intimidation as Pureblood's was there and wasn't forgotten for the slightest second.

Zero left his driver five miles down the road of what looked to be a school campus, the perfect place to find a meal and new servant which he'd need for the long search for his mother ahead. But in a way this was also a vacation from his problems, not that he was one to run from them he just needed to get out of the house and away from his family for awhile. Although it broke Maria's heart and pinned Ichiru in a difficult position he would be selfish and put himself first.

A slender girl with curly chestnut hair and cinnamon colored eyes passed by his hiding place in the trees. Zero raised an eyebrow and looked down at the girl who –guessing by the badge on her arm- was a Prefect. Zero smiled and leaped down from the tree behind the girl.

She jumped and whipped around, dagger in hand. Bemused by the bold action Zero grabbed her hand that held the dagger and tried not to snarl.

"What's your business here vampire?" Zero's violet eyes narrowed and the girl glared back. "I am a Guardian of this Academy and we are very aware of the existence of vampires."

"Oh really?" Zero released her hand and she flew back a few yards. "A school for hunters, hmm, shouldn't be too hard to destroy." He started toward what looked to be a dorm room only to meet a sharp shooting pain in his arm. The Guardian had thrown the dagger, he'd under estimated her.

Snarling he yanked out the dagger and while gripping the hilt of it he got shocked; it was an anti-vampire weapon, but still he tightened his hold on to it. The girl seemed surprised to see that he hadn't turned to dust like most vampires did.

"This is not a Hunter's Association establishment, this is a place where vampire and humans co-exist peacefully, only the Guardians are trained hunters and they're only here to keep out roves and to keep the Night Class in line. I'll have to take you to the Headmaster."

"You know you should be executed, it's a crime to injure the body of a Pureblood." The girl's eyes widened and Zero let his fangs show. "More importantly I'm a Kuruizaki; we live for slaughter and making servants out of humans with no manners."

_Purebloods can turn humans into vampires_, the girl remembered. Pulling out another hidden weapon from her uniform she tried her best to make the movement that turned the left part of her body sideways look natural. Also she pressed the call button on her cell phone in her pocket, she'd need back up.

"Your family killed the Kiryuu clan."

"Yes." He replied bluntly, the girl grinded her teeth and drew the katana out from the side of her jacket. The long blade caught the glimmer of the moonlight over her shoulder as she moved into a fight stance.

"Where is Kyra Kiryuu? We didn't find her body and I _know_ you stole her!" He threw the dagger at the girl, but just as he planned in glazed past her and hit the tree behind her back. The girl's face stayed tranquil but he could hear her heartbeat pick up.

"That brat has been turned into one of our servants." Zero tried to remain cool, but the anger on his face was too much to hold back. _How dare she draw that weapon on me?_

The girl's eyes widened and she rushed forward at the Pureblood. "You snake!" Zero sidestepped the attack and grabbed the girl's arm and lifted her till her feet cleared the ground. The katana fell to the ground with a clank that echoed off the stone courtyard.

"We did not turn her; believe it or not my family has enough decency not to do that to an infant." The girl stared at him wide eyed then he caught the sounds of voices and footstep right behind him.

"Sayori!" A rough male voice yelled.

"Aw, you called for help."Zero smiled down at the girl he now knew as Sayori, and he swore he saw her blush. "You will be seeing me again."

Right when another hunter was about to stab his weapon right into Zero's chest, Zero's body melted away and morphed into a silver wolf with stunning violet eyes. As Sayori fell to the ground she saw the large animal's eyes on her before it turned and tackled the other Guardian to the ground and darting across campus the opposite way he came, the whole time barking up a storm, purposely waking almost all of the humans students in their dorms.

"After it!" An older hunter with midnight colored hair and an eye patch, yelled.

**Wakaba**

"Yori-chan are you alright?" The Headmaster asked after checking her battle scars and making sure that the Pureblood hadn't bitten her.

"Hai, I'm fine. But who was that?" Kaien tapped his chin for a moment then turned to his file cabinet.

"He said his surname was Kuruizaki?"

"Yes," Yori tried not to blush when she thought about the way the Pureblood had looked at her, the perfection of his face his angel and devil smile…

"Ah, here it is, I left it on my desk when I was updating it." Kaien laughed and opened the file.

"Updating?"

"Hai, the Kuruizaki's have had a rough year so far. Iruka-san, I'm guessing the Pureblood's father, was murdered by the Kiryuu clan and then Shizuka went missing after attending a meeting with the Council about her deed. His presence could only mean trouble…we just have to know which one he is."

"'Which one he is'?" Sayori asked. "Don't we just have to look up the Kuruzaiki's son?"

"Normally, yes, but the Kuruzaki's have two sons. The one you met tonight has a twin brother." Kaien pulled out a picture and showed it to Yori.

Before her was a family of five: A tall man – she knew was Iruka- that towered over all the others and had silver hair and violet colored eyes; a woman –she also knew was Shizuka- with long snow white hair and pink colored eyes; a young girl with silver hair and violet eyes; and two boys, both tall like their father and looked exactly the same. Only one of them had shorter hair.

"Him, the one that's not smiling in the picture," Yori pointed out. Kaien glanced down and went pale, a starch white. "Headmaster?"

"That's the Kuruizaki's eldest son. Oh, he's trouble, he lost his fiancée to his younger brother and he can't claim the Kuruizaki name the way he was expected too. If he's here then he's either looking for a replacement for Maria or his mother."

"How do you know so much?"

Kaien gave Yori a small smiled. "The Kuruizaki's don't mask their emotions; we know how these people are like. They are ruthless and will take what they want when they want it. Iruka and Ichiru," He pointed out the father and the Pureblood's twin. "Are the nicest in the Kuruizaki family –aside from his vicious wife and Ichiru's siblings-, if it had been them we would be expecting a donation of some sort or a new Pureblood to enroll in our Night Class."

"What's his name?" Yori ignored Kaien and kept her gaze on the Pureblood she'd met tonight.

Kaien paused before answering. "Zero…**.**Yori what happened tonight?" Yori met her sensei's intense eyes and bit her lip.

"He, um," she quickly made up a lie. "Told me about Kyra Kiryuu, they haven't turned her but she's going to be like a servant to them."

**Kuran**

Yuuki arrived at the academy with Kaname and her parents, who were only staying to drop her off. Kaname cupped Yuuki's face in his hands and brought their foreheads together.

"The moment you miss me just call, or come home."

"Alright Onii-sama,"

"Come on Yuuki it's time for you to meet Cross Kaien." Haruka said.

It was broad daylight and the humans were still buzzing around the courtyard, suddenly they all stopped to see the newly arrived Yuuki Kuran entering the school grounds. She'd insisted on going on by herself and meeting people on the way.

Yuuki smiled at everyone who looked her way, but tried to find the Headmaster's office.

_Oh maybe I should have let Okaa-sama help me. Aghh! This is so frustrating!_

Yuuki bumped shoulders with another student and jumped almost a foot in the air. "Ah, sorry I wasn't looking where I was go-"Yuuki's eyes met those of a tall, teenage hunter. She could tell by his aura and plus the flash of silver when he pulled a dagger out of his blazer threateningly.

"Get out of here vampire." He seethed. Yuuki's eyes narrowed.

"No I'm supposed to be here and the Headmaster is waiting for my arrival, I'm Yuuki Kuran." The hunter's eyes narrowed into coal black slits. "You can't fight me in front of humans." She reminded. Out of her peripheral vision she saw a few more of the stone faced black eyed students as all the other cherry faced ones escaped into their classes.

"A Pureblood royal," one snorted. Yuuki sighed and her grip on her suitcase handle tightened. "Don't do this, the Headmaster will be mad."

"Yeah right! We weren't expecting any vampires today!"

"I came a few days early." Yuuki explained.

"Because that's so believable," another guy reared up to her.

"Back. Off. Right. Now." Yuuki seethed through her teeth, after the frustrating search for the Headmaster's office and now about to be jumped by hunters, put her in a very bad mood.

One of the hunters reached out and on instinct Yuuki's arm with the suitcase in it swung forward, hit the hunter offside the head, knocking him to the ground. "You don't try to man handle a lady." She walked around him and listened to the sounds of his friends moving to his aid as she stalked off.

**~X~**

"Ah! Where the hell is it?" She snarled twelve minutes later the search for the Headmaster's office had still been useless.

"Oi! What are you doing outside of-" Yuuki whipped around, suitcase at the ready, to see a short brown haired girl.

"Wow, hey, calm down." The girl stepped forward and lowered Yuuki's suitcase. "I'm guessing you met the other guys before I could find you. I'm Sayori Wakaba, just call me Yori."

"Whew," Yuuki sighed. "Finally a sociable face, I'm Yuuki Kuran and I'm trying to find the Headmaster's office."

"Alright well you _were_ heading the right way, but the Headmaster is in his house right now, I'll show you. What happened anyway?"

"Oh, they were about to grab me and I whacked one of them to the ground with my suitcase. My Pureblood powers are a tad…destructive so I didn't want to explain to Headmaster why the grounds look like they've been through an earthquake."

"Huh," said Yori's only response. "Cross-san talks about you a lot, how do you know him?"

"Oh he knows my mother, Juuri Kuran." Yuuki explained. The two chatted for a bit then Yori walked ahead of Yuuki to a stone building and opened the door for her.

"Right up the stairs to the left, he'd be in the kitchen." Yori explained with a sad smile. "I have to get to class now; do you think you can find it?"

"Yes, thank you Yori-chan." Yuuki said and walked into the house, she looked over her shoulder to see the Yori running to get to a classroom. _I think we'll become good friends._

**Wakaba**

"Sayori, you awake over there?" One of the Guardians, Nara, called. Yori's gaze tore from the white bird she'd seen dive into the trees a moment later and nodded sheepishly as she rubbed her bury eyes.

"I'm just tired; Yuuki-san and I were up all night talking."

"Well this perimeter is secure and the traps are set," another Guardian, Sota, declared completely ignoring her announcement about the Pureblood princess. "Go wake up Hiro and tell him to take over for you. That's why we work in shifts."

Yori nodded and took a few steps back then set her eyes on the stone railing, but before she could dash forward Nara spoke.

"Don't let the Purebloods bite." Yori rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please I stabbed him with my dagger; I think I could handle him again."

"Get out of here." Sota snapped.

"Hai, night guys." Yori took a running jump then flung herself over the railing of the balcony, like she'd done many times before during her training.

"Night!" The two called after her.

It had been two days since the Pureblood Zero Kuruizaki had shown up and ever since then she'd been seeing a white bird, but it always ducked down or flew away before she could figure out what kind it was. Once she even thought she saw the white wolf again. This scared her and she feared that the Pureblood Prince was going to make reappearance, what scared her more was when Yagari-sensei had gotten mauled by the wolf the night the guys set out to tracked him. Yagari was still recovering, but the animal hadn't bitten him.

Then she wasn't scared. The vampire had been handsome, kind enough and for some reason she couldn't bring herself to hate him. Even after what he and his family did to the Kiryuu family and Zuko, her dearest friend who was a Guardian, she kept seeing things now from his point of view. The Kiryuus killed his father –a very big offence- and drank his blood –the ultimate offence- and the Kuruizaki's were just doing what they'd thought was fit.

"God all these late nights are getting to my head." She moaned as she hit the ground hard, she started jogging towards the guy's dorms when she heard the sound of flapping wings. Looking up she saw the white bird again, but it wasn't a bird it was a bat. A huge, white bat flying directly at her; its teeth bared showing off tiny fangs and wild eyes.

The little creature let out a high pitched screech and Yori bolted in to the forest, hopeful to lose it, but the little animal gave chase. Dropping to the ground Yori was able to doge as the bat swooped down at her. When she stood she saw the bat had disappeared.

"What the hell-" A pale hand clapped over her mouth, effectively silencing Yori as she was violently dragged further into the forest. Her back brushed against rough bark as she was pushed against a tree, her face was pulled up so she could see the face of her aggressor. Lilac eyes stared down at her, partly obscured by a mess of silver hair that framed his mature face. His pale skin shined in the darkness and his small smirk was devilish.

The Kuruizaki Pureblood.

"What are you doing?' She demanded, breathless from the impact of the tree.

"You're bragging that you were able to throw a dagger at me which, might I add, was dumb luck." He whispered his voice so low that it could have been passed for the wind if she wasn't so close.

"It's called training. You let your guard down." She replied slight smugness in her tone as her dark eyes wandered down to the arm that she threw the dagger in, it was healed now.

"No. Dumb luck." He pressed her closer to the tree, his hand gripped her small arm tightly and she had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain. "I gave you the information about Kyra, now you need to return the favor. Tell me about Yuuki Kuran."

"How did you know she was…?" She broke off, gasping as his nails dug into her skin. "You were that bat!"

"Guilty. Now tell me why she is here, or so help me I will-"

"You'll do what?" She tried to push him away, using her weight against his chest, but he just pulled her closer, ramming her back into the tree, a 'oomph' passing through her lips as the oxygen was driven out of her by the blow.

"Stop it! Let me go!" She continued to push against him; calling out for help until his hand covered her lips again, muffling her cries.

"Oh shut up already." He commanded the pressure on her lips softened as he ran his fingers over her lips, brushing them over the soft skin of her cheekbone, distracting her as he grabbed her waist forcefully and pulling her tight against him as he lowered his head to be closer to hers.

"Stop it..." She whispered her voice weak as she tried to discourage him.

"No." Was all he said as he gently put his lips on hers, completely unlike his previous violent approach.

He kissed her softly, licking her bottom lip and pinching the skin at her waist when she wouldn't open her mouth. She eventually parted her lips, dropping her resistance and pushed herself against him, leaning into the kiss. Zero, however, lifted his lips from hers before the kiss could get too passionate and lowered his head more, running his nose over the flushed skin at the girls neck, and smiled as she gasped when his tongue darted out of his lips, sliding it over her skin. He enjoyed the way she shivered at the gesture and his fangs pricked against her skin, light blood falling from the wounds which he lapped up.

She pushed on him again, in a failed attempt to get away, but he held her still, his free hand grabbed her hair, pulling it roughly to the side to expose more of her neck, his fangs sinking deeper under her skin, the red liquid of her blood rushing carelessly into his mouth as she yelped in pain.

"Zero!"

**Kuran**

Yuuki stared out the open window of her bedroom, having just woken up she momentarily wondered if she was at home and the servants were bring her breakfast in with her regular glass of blood.

Tugging at the cuff of her long, sheer nightgown Yuuki tried to concentrate on the smell of human blood. It was a familiar scent, Yori's. This worried Yuuki.

_She must have fallen or cut herself… _she thought, until she caught a whiff of a Pureblood blood entwined with the now fading smell of Yori's blood.

"Yori!" Yuuki called out hoping she'd hear something in response. The door behind her opened and the Headmaster crossed the room in three strides.

"What is it!" He asked panicked.

"A Pureblood has bitten Yori!"

* * *

**One of my reader commented that Shizuka's lastname is really Hio not Kuruizaki, I thought Hio was just another part of her name. Sorry for the mix up but I think I'll continue using Kuruizaki because I think it sounds better.**

**The make-out scene in this chapter was written by ApocalypticDisaster ;P**


	6. Darkness

**Kuruizaki**

Incisors that resembled a cat's descended from the upper jaw as they suck into her new Master's wrist.

Zero winced and hissed at his new servant's boldness. Of course, he had to have picked a girl who knew enough about the Change to know she needed his blood to survive. But he allowed her to feed, she wasn't like any other girl who'd be begging for something _more _right now and she'd been a good opponent. He let her have his wrist and she hand grasped onto it greedily, keeping him in place. The wind picked up and suddenly the calm night turned into a storm. An unseen bullet of Power shot past him and drew a thin line of blood on his cheek.

Smirking Zero's head swiveled to the entrance to the forest, back towards the Academy were the princess slept in her bed. He'd gotten Yuuki's attention, now all he needed to do was luger her in to the shadows so he could take her.

Yori eased her fangs out of Zero's wrist and they retraced back to normal size. Zero turned back to her and hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. Locking eyes with her Yori became entranced by the beautiful violet eyes of the Pureblood male. "Sleep." He commanded.

Her body fell limp at the command and she sunk to the forest floor. Zero stared at her as the Change happened before his eyes.

Her sun-kissed skin began to look fairer and her hair lighter. Her nails lengthened and just something about her seemed hauntingly beautiful and powerful.

_This girl and the princess are friends. Yuuki will come and save her..._With a smirk on his lips Zero scoped the girl up bridal style and headed towards the abandoned building he'd seen earlier.

"Come and get me, Yuuki-chan..." He whispered into the wind, knowing the princess could hear it.

**Kuran**

_"Come and get me, Yuuki-chan..." _Yuuki's anger spiked and she snarled into the violent night.

The Hunters around her were too in sync to edge away from her. They checked their weapons and made sure they were ready to fight if needed.

Kaien's gaze swept over the group and sighed. Even Yuuki, tender, kind Yuuki looked lethal. Like her mother when he first met her: long hair bellowing, eyes flashing from brown to crimson, a haunting aura surrounding her showing she wasn't to be trifled with at this moment.

Yuuki's nails dug into her palm. The words that had drifted to her ears. The Pureblood was calling her out, asking, begging for a fight.

"Yuuki, wait inside." Kaien said sternly. "Juuri will be angry with me if-"

"No, I think she should go," Hiro said. "She's already sniffing them out like a bloodhound."

"Use one more animal reference on me, I dare you." She threatened, not taking her eyes of the tree line. Hiro glared and Yagari called their attention.

"Kuran-san could help us, fight Pureblood with Pureblood."

Kaien weighted his options and looked at Yuuki once more; trying to shake off how much she looked like Juuri. And that glare...he knew it well. Determination, anger and hope all rolled into one, intense look. When Juuri didn't want to give up on something she got that look and to see it on _her daughter_...it was near painful.

"Be careful."

"Always am." Yagari said, Kaien didn't dare correct him that he was talking to Yuuki. "Let's go!" They all rushed forward, moving at speeds that were the equivalence of years of training.

"Just so you know," another Hunter huffed. "Our treaty, after tonight, is over."

"Fine with me."

**Kuruizaki**

Zero stared out the window of the dorm room.

_There is no way this storm hit on its own, the timing was too perfect..._He realized that this must be the Kuran princess's doing. _Powerful._

If he squinted he was just able to see the band of Hunters rushing to Yori's rescue and...Yuuki was with among them. Watching them become closer and closer to the building. Once they were about to move out of his line of sight, near the front door, a tree fell.

Crashing down to the stone ground, the princess was yanked out of the way by a Hunter. She murmured a thank you and Zero positioned himself on the window sill, wind howling around him.

"Na' ah, I only want to play with one of you." He said childishly, wagging his finger at them for emphasis. The princess's head snapped up and her eyes widened.

"YOU!" She shoved the Hunter back so she could stand taller.

"I have a name, you know." Zero acted hurt, but she ignored him.

"Come down here!"

"No._ You_ come _up _here." He shut the window against the wind and locked it. Knowing she'd be up her soon; he turned back to Yori, who lay in the bed behind him, only to realize: she was gone.

"Oh no," he grumbled.

**Kuran**

The princess staggered forward, only to be stopped by Yagari.

"Do you have a death wish? You can't go in there alone." Momentarily he wondered why he cared, but he knew with one hair was hurt on her head her parents -most likely her mother- would have a thing or two to say about it. "He's older-"

"Older doesn't mean stronger, and it sure doesn't mean wiser." She said. "Besides-" Reaching towards his belt she withdrew his sword and the Hunters concealed their gasps. "I'm a Kuran, I can use anti-vampire weapons."

Struggling out of his grasp she jumped over the fallen tree towards the door, pushing it open effortlessly, it closed just as easily on its own with a loud slam that echoed around the elegantly decorated room. Her grip tightened around the hilt of the katana and she moved further into the room, glancing warily around the room. The lonely sounds were the patting of her feet against the porcelain floors, but she didn't relay only on that, she could _smell _another Pureblood inside the dorm.

She froze when a blur of color darted down the stairway and a _click _sounded from behind her.

Half-blind, Yuuki turned and slammed the hilt of the katana into that person's abdomen. She -judging by the size- dropped like a leaf, crumbling to the floor with small bolts of lightning racking across her body, her chestnut hair obscuring her twisted, pained face.

"Oh, God Yori..." The weapon slipped from her fingers and she knelt down beside her friend, trying to bring her back up.

"Yuuki...run..." Yori choked, blood seeping down the side of her mouth.

"Hold her still, Sayori." A quiet hallow whisper echoed through the Level D's ears and, unable to resist the order, immediately snatched the princess's wrist. A laugh followed. "Make her stand."

Yori followed the abrupt order without fail, almost without thought, and force Yuuki to stand and turned her to face her Master who nimbly walked down the grand staircase, folding his coat over his arm before leaving it on the banister, a satisfied smile crossed his lips and Yuuki watched him closely.

"Well, I must say taking over your mind was relatively easy." Zero chuckled.

"What do you want from me, Kuruizaki?" Yuuki asked. Zero's laughing creased and then he was standing in front of the two, towering over them. Yuuki masked her shock, but an audible gasp was heard as he lowered his face to the crook of her neck and breathed in. "I..." His hand gripped her upper arm, in an attempt to hold her even steadier.

"So warm..." His hand was cold and it moved up and down from her shoulder to her elbow.

She could hear the parting of his lips and her inner turmoil set in.

He was going to bite her. Take what was rightfully her brother's and, possibly, the last of her dignity.

His other hand rose held her pale neck, fingers almost gentle.

"You can't wield Hunter weapons by drinking the blood of a Kuran." She felt him pause momentarily and his grip loosened just a fraction, not for long, but quickly tightened again. Almost painfully. "Ah!"

"That's not what I'm after..." A tongue lathered her neck and she felt the ghost of fangs over her neck-

"No!"

-when Yori broke her trance and leaped forward, knocking Yuuki aside. They all fell to the ground, the marble floors sending waves of pain to whatever they landed on. But Yori didn't mind the pain, hand still locked around the princess's wrist, she pulled Yuuki back up, to her feet and darted up the stairs: knowing Zero did well to charm the door.

Feeling rather put out the Pureblood male watched them disappear upstairs.

He turned his hand over, palm up, and a white bat pulled from his skin. And another. And another...until all that was left was a flock of bats, soaring up the stairs to find the girls.

**Kuran**

"You know," Leaning around a corner, Yuuki smiled at the shorter blonde. "For a moment I thought you were going to let him have me."

"For a moment I thought I was too." Yori flashed a quick smile and glanced back into the hall to find herself face to face with a gray-ish silver bat with lilac eyes. The animal shrieked and Yuuki pulled Yori back in the room, slamming and locking the door. "That was just a bat." Yori piped.

"No that was Zero." Yuuki corrected in a panic, edging away from the door.

"_That _was Zero?" Yori's eyes widened.

"One of him...at least." The echoing sound of slams beat at the door as more and more bats gathered outside. Power was gathering, Yuuki could taste it on her tongue. The Power he gained when his family slaughtered the Kiryuu Hunters, it encased him like aura and roared like wild fire, calling to her from the other side of the door.

"Yori..." Yuuki turned to find her friend standing on the window sill, looking out. "What are you...?"

"Have a better idea?" Yori inquired.

At that moment the door flung open and Yuuki shoved her friend out the window.

Yori screamed. Eyes locking with the ground underneath her, imagining her tangled body on the ground: dead.

Last minute her body seemed to turn and her hand grabbed the ledge of another window. Her foot stuck on an uneven brick and she jumped again, bracing her fall with her benching knees. Her friends looked at her weirdly and she glanced back at Yuuki who hung halfway out the window already. "Run!" She shouted and Yori obliged, the Hunter's trailing after her.

A hand grabbed Yuuki's throat and pulled her back into the room.

The window slammed shut and her heartbeat pulsed.

"What a noble thing to do for a friend." His Power lashed out at her and seemed to take hold of her soul.

Then darkness encased the two.

* * *

**YEAH! I finally re-wrote this! Whoo-hoo!**


	7. Ghosts

Ichiru watched his sister as they continued through the mountain side woods. Maria offered Ichiru her hand and he smiled at her.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner." She murmured to herself, but Ichiru was attentively listening to every word. "Okaa-sama once told me of a place she likes to go when she wants to be alone; Zero-onii-sama didn't have to go." The cheerful ring in her voice was fake he knew it.

Maria had been saying 'onii-sama', after Zero's name a lot. She was starting to sound like the Kuran-hime.

"Why do you keep saying that?" He finally asked. His fiancée pauses before looking up at him and smiling. Fake.

"Well…I'm not sure, just trying to remind myself he's only my brother now-"

"Why would you need to remind yourself?" Ichiru stopped them and Maria felt his grip on her hand tighten.

"…Oh! There it is!" She yanked her hand away from her broth- no fiancé. She had to get use to that, Zero was her brother and Ichiru was her betrothed.

She skipped ahead of him to a stone labyrinth and she knew in the heart of it would be her mother, sitting on a bench surround the Kuruizaki family memorials. Going to the door she smiled to see that the barred door was ajar and the smell of her mother was deep within the depths of labyrinth.

"Wait here, only females are allowed to enter." Maria said truthfully. Her fiancé gave her a look, but restrained himself from following. Maria waved shyly and entered the labyrinth.

_"It's a place where we Kuruizaki woman can ease our troubled minds." _Shizuka's words scrolled through her mind and Maria had to check to be sure she wasn't still five years old, clinging to her mother's hand.

Shizuka's spirit and aura was so strong, the memory of her and the way she spoke just seemed to make her like a ghost. Always there, always watching, always somewhere in the back of your mind.

Maria admired her mother for that. _I will be like her. _Maria's mind urged. _I will be strong and beautiful and **remembered. **_She didn't want to be just another Kuruizaki, or turn her family into the Shirabuki's who are, almost, always forgotten.

"Maria…" Maria glanced up to see she'd aimlessly walked to the center of the maze –which wasn't that hard, she'd been here so many times it was second nature to her, right after biting.

Her lilac eyes met the narrow pink gaze of her mother and she smiled. "Okaa-sama…" Soundlessly Maria entered the small ring of memorials and knelt in front of the one her mother leaned at; Iruka Kuruizaki.

Folding her hands in her lap she slouched a little and looked up at the tall white poll. "I miss you Otou-sama…"

"Maria, this poll," Shizuka gestured her claw-like figure to it. "Is not your father, Iruka is not here and he isn't in hell or heaven either."

"Then where is he?" Maria looked over to her mother who only sighed.

"I don't know, Maria, we are the damned; rejected from heaven and too good for hell, so I always assumed our spirits linger. Like in those old ghost stories your father use to read you, remember that?" Maria shook off the question.

"Then why are you here?" Shizuka smiled secretly.

"This is a place for Kuruizaki woman, and I presume that even stands for the dead, so I thought here would be a good place to be alone while I confess my sins to someone who will understand."

"What sins?"

"The Council wants me to marry again…to Rido Kuran." Maria shot up from the ground and glared down at her mother.

"You didn't say yes did you? Okaa-sama, they can't force you!" Shizuka looked away from her infuriated daughter.

"They can threaten to murder me and my children, Rido-sama arranged the marriage himself."

"Okaa-sama, why would he do that?"

"I don't know sweetheart, time will tell, it always does."

**Kuran**

"Everything is going as planned,"

"Hmm, being in the background for the past fifteen years really paid off; I have my nephew, your grandson and my son at my disposal. See Ichiou-san? Waiting pays off."

The young child smiled and bit hungrily into the Level D's neck. After switching bodies –again- he was sure this disguise would be enough to fool his niece. A black crow swept into the dark room from the window and the vampire out stretched a hand for it to perch on. The crow cawed as it melted into his skin and the vampire's mix match eyes became wide.

"What?" The Level D dropped to the floor and the vampire whipped the blood from his mouth. "...Oh Shizuka-san, I am going to murder that son of yours."

**Kuran**

Bloody images flipped through the young girl's mind. Her teeth dung into her lower lip as they became faster and faster, swirling around her mind, jumping out at her. Showing bits of her childhood memories, splattered with blood, like a picture frame.

Then she saw something else. It was a memory of her walking down the back hall of the Kuran manor when she was thirteen. Hands folded behind her back, long hair trailing behind her, she was taking the chance to look at the upper level of her house when her family was gone.

She remembered that she'd not yet been introduced to society yet and whenever Okaa-sama, Otou-sama and Onii-sama had to leave her home alone she'd wait then wander around the house aimlessly for hours.

She stopped at an old painting of her mother and father when they were young, but noticed something else. Another boy was in the picture with them, and judging by his looks he was a Kuran; wild, dark brown hair –darker than Onii-sama's- and two different colored eyes, one the traditional Kuran crimson-brown and the other and icy blue. She was about to read the gold plat when she heard the grandfather clock strike one. _Onii-sama said they'd be home at one-thirty. _Scared out of her wits of being found she turned and ran back to her basement room, but she'd read 'Rido Kuran'.

The name sent shivers down her spine then the image changed again, bats millions of them. Flying around, shooting themselves at her. Yuuki squired and then a pale, long arm reached out in the mixed of them and grabbed her.

Yuuki was ready to scream, but it was caught in her throat and then a flash of white –teeth…fangs! The teeth dug themselves into the skin on her neck and Yuuki found herself arching her neck for that person and gripping on to a silk like texture. Her body was being lifted and she couldn't feel the bed…

The bed? This was a dream, she had to wake up…she had to.

"AH!" The fangs dug further into her skin and seeming to make her relax, but she continued to fight the sleep that was trying to cover take her. Her eyes felt heavy, welded shut.

**Kuruizaki**

Zero would have to hand it to her, the girl was strong. Almost breaking the sleeping spell. His teeth dug further into her pale flesh and she cried out, but he tried to ignore it.

This was the blood he wanted, the crimson wine that would keep him alive for all eternity, nothing like his sister's blood or Ruka's or Amu's, not even his mother's. This princess's blood filled him; the dry burning in his throat, the emptiness and the hole left over in his heart.

Suddenly he realized that he was taking too much and Yuuki struggle was dying down and he feared that he'd hurt her.

His teeth eased their way out and looked down at her. Crystal-like tears fell down her heart shaped face and she looked paler than normal.

Zero felt his heart plummet into his stomach. How could he have been so greedy? So horrible? So evil? To hurt the girl he…the girl he loved.


	8. Thought

Love? Had _he -_Zero Kuruizaki- just thought that?

No he couldn't love her...yet...or at all. She was a child, too innocent, too pure, too weak, and looked too much like a Kuran. He sighed. _But alas I feel connected to her. _He held his throat in realization that it wasn't burning in hunger anymore. _Her blood..._The purity of it seemed to clean him from his past. The deaths, his lovers, their blood, everything that had gone wrong or had happened in the past almost seemed to slip from his memory.

Zero pulled the bed sheet over the girl and turned to the now shut window that had slammed into the princess's forehead.

He couldn't stay here, he knew that. Dawn was coming and he would be weakened, if anything Kuruizaki's were weakened by sunlight. It burned their eyes and aroused tension in their bodies.

He had to leave, but he wouldn't leave her. In a strange, unspoken way he admitted to himself that he needed her.

Pulling his phone from his pocket he called for his driver to bring the car around.

**Kuran**

_I wonder what Yuuki is doing? _The elder Pureblood wondered as he turned the page in his novel. The sun was just coming up and the maids had already been to his rooms to pull the thick, burgundy curtains over the annoying increase of light.

Yuuki would probably be getting ready for bed by now. The Chairman would give her blood tablet mix to her, pet her head and let her ask him a few questions before she would dance up the stairwell and enter her bedroom for sleep...

Kaname's perfect vision was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing from across the hall, Juuri's private phone that no one except her, the Chairman and -secretly- Kaname knew about.

"Hello Kaien," Juuri's wind-chime voice said smoothly. The affair between her and Kaien was well known in the Kuran family. Juuri didn't want either of her brother's and was promised to the malevolent Rido at the time. She ran away from home only to meet the fair haired hunter with dark eyes and full intention to kill her.

Their love for each other was forbidden and by the time they met again Juuri was pregnant with Kaname and married to Haruka, her younger brother who had won her over. But still they loved one another, he was their when Rido had kidnapped and sacrificed her baby, when Haruka had to leave for meetings and when a few members of the Hunter's Association found out about Yuuki -they had all been murdered.

_"Juuri...I'm sorry, I am so sorry..." _Kaname heard Kaien sob. Juuri's voice was worried now and asking her friend/ex-lover what was wrong. _"A Kuruizaki Pureblood came to campus and...he attacked a Guardian and kidnapped Yuuki..." _

Kaname felt his heart drop into his stomach.

_That _Pureblood...had _his _Yuuki, _his_ fiancée?

Grabbing his coat as he walked out of the room, throwing open the door with more force than necessary the elder tore down the hall; random artifacts shattering as he did so. He heard Juuri's uncontrollable sobs and the bewildered tone of Haruka's voice.

_Zero Kuruizaki prepare to die._

**Kuruizaki**

Maria smoothed her long hair once more and looked at her fiancé before reaching for the phone.

They had found Okaa-sama and although the conditions now were strange she wanted her older brother back, she wanted his advice, his ideas, his once constant comfort and love.

The phone ringed and she waited to her the rough sound of his voice, it would calm her like it always would.

"Hello, Maria." Her heartbeat picked up and Ichiru didn't let that escape his notice. Sighing he stood from his chair and left her room. Maria didn't pay attention to that; instead she smiled softly into the receiver.

"Onii-sama, we found Mother," she said happily. "You'll be returning home now, right?" She waited for his reassurance.

And waited.

"Zero?"

"Maria...I've decided to take a small vacation." His smooth voice declared and Maria stifled her gasp of shock.

"What?"

"I won't be coming home for awhile and I'll need you in Ichiru to-"

"Why!" Maria demanded, cutting him off. Her anger boiled. _How dare he do this! How dare my favorite brother leave us in our time of need!_

"I don't want to be there!" Maria grip on the phone loosened. "I don't want to be in that house."

"Heh...Just so you know...Mother is being forced into a marriage with Rido Kuran." Maria seethed.

"Well...you can deal with that." The line went dead then and Maria slammed the phone down with force.

She couldn't tell if she was angry or upset...No depressed. She had treated Zero so cruelly over the past few months, stripped him of his dignity, and kicked him when he was down.

"I'm a horrible person..."

**Kuran**

Sunlight beat down on Yuuki's angelic features and she felt cool fingers brush her long hair off her face. That simple gesture was done with great care and loving affection.

_Onii-sama._

The teenager snuggled closer to the very male body sitting next to her.

How had he gotten here? She had said she wanted to go to the academy herself, but she was happy. Soon she would open her eyes and tell him the horrible dream about the Kuruizaki Pureblood who Changed her best friend and bitten her.

Crimson-brown eyes opened and were met with a dark fleece coat covering a well muscled arm. Her eyes climbed upward and to her horror she saw none other than Zero Kuruizaki sitting beside her. Silver hair messy, but looking somehow handsome and violent lilac eyes intensely watching her every move. His face was so close she could count his eyelashes.

Her face heated up and she was sure a full out blush was painted on her face.

"Gah!" She jumped backward, only to be met with a locked car door. Lilac eyes narrowed slightly and his head tilted to the side like a curious animal.

"You keep doing that you're going to put yourself into a concussion." His voice smothered her and she felt her heartbeat quicken. "Or you'll faint from hyperventilating."

Yuuki finally snapped out of her rapid thought that were piecing together everything that happened last night. "YOU!"

"You say that a lot." Zero adverted his gaze to the window and crossed his legs.

"Where am I?" She peeled herself off of the door and sat a good distance away from the Pureblood, who sat in the middle of the backseat.

"Currently...we're in Russia. Moscow to be more specific."

"Russia? How...how the _heck_ did I get here?" Yuuki pulled her long overcoat tightly around her body, trying to hide her pale, yellow nightgown.

She heard a soft chuckle and he turned back to her with a slight smile on his face. "You can curse if you want, I won't chastise you."

Yuuki's face screwed up and her full mouth became a hard line. "What did you do?"

A pale, long fingered hand lifted from his lap and waved in the air. "I just took you away from the academy is all."

She grounded her teeth together. He was so...frustrating. How she could mistake him for Kaname she would never know. "Why?"

A smile curved on his flawless lips. "Because, Yuuki-_chan, _you interest me and I want to get to know you better."

**Kuran**

_I will rip his head from his body, and then leave his head to rot on a spike right outside his family's-_

"Kaname?" Takuma snapped his fingers and Kaname turned to his long time friend. "Someone wants to talk to you." Takuma opened the cracked door to reveal a short, fair haired, nimble bodied girl. Her hair was honey colored and fixed into short curls.

But for a moment he thought he was looking at Yuuki. The girls brown eyes were big and the same shape and if Kaname squinted he could lightly see a tint of red and they held so much emotion that it made you want to cry. But this girl wasn't Yuuki.

Kaname stayed in his chair surrounded by his Noble 'friends' as the Level D drew closer to him. The girl looked like she had been crying and her eyes looked like she hadn't gotten enough sleep for a few days.

_Probably a minion of Zero's._

"Kaname-san," the girl's voice was nothing above a meek whisper, but he had heard perfectly well. "Have you... Have you found any leads on Yuuki?"

Kaname's brow raised and he softly bit into his lower lip as the others waited for him to answer. "No. No we haven't."

"Oh..." He saw a tear roll down her cheek. "Dammit, I just can't stop crying." She muttered as he whipped it away.

"And you are?"

"Sayori Wakaba, Yuuki's friend...She was saving me from Zero the night he kidnapped her." Kaname stood from his chair and towered over the girl; she cringed and bowed her head in shame.

It was this girl's fault that Yuuki had been taken. If she wasn't so foolish to get caught then Yuuki would be at the academy now and none of this would be happening. His eyes glowed red and his nails lengthened. This didn't escape the girl's notice.

"Kill me. Just kill me. It's all my fault..." Her eyes closed as she awaited the fatal blow. Kaname's hand raised and when he brought it down he met the shoulder of Hanabusa Aidou, rather than the girl's neck.

The blonde's face turned up in pain and he gridded his teeth. "Ka-Kaname-sa-sama..."

"Aidou-sempai!" A chorus of voices came with their delayed reaction. Through his peripheral vision Kaname saw Ruka grasp Kain's hand.

"Aidou," Kaname removed his claws from the blonde's shoulder causing him to wince. "Stand down, now."

"If you want to kill her, you'll kill me too." He grounded out from his gridded teeth. His head turned slightly to check on the girl behind him who was frozen with fear.

"Both of you get out of my sight." Kaname snapped. Aidou made a formal bow and apologized to him before turning and leading the girl out the door as quickly as he could.

**Wakaba**

"You idiot! You complete idiot! Why did you do that?" Yori was frantic as she yelled at the blond haired blue eyed aristocrat in front of her. He ignored her at first and laid a hand on his bleeding shoulder as purple energy surrounded it and slowly the wound healed. He ran his hands under the flowing water and turned to the girl who had respectfully turned away from him.

"You would have died." He said simply, searching for a rag in the washroom. Yori pulled clean hanky out of her pocket and presented it to him, still turned away. Her anger lessened now and she lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Sorry..."

"Thank you." He took it from her hand, having removed -and thrown away- his jacket and crisp white shirt he was standing topless in front of the girl waiting for a servant to bring him a new one. He smirked when he saw her blush. "I see our attraction is still there."

Yori spun around on her heel to face the half-naked man, her eyes narrowed. "Aidou!" He laughed.

"Once you love a vampire there is no going back." He smiled and Yori pulled her hand back to smack him. He grabbed her wrist in his hand and watched her struggle. "Still too weak..." He murmured. He noted the anger flaring in her eyes as they flashed crimson. "And you're a vampire now."

She stilled and looked into the clear sky blue eyes and as she called her caramel eyes returned. "Yes...I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's not your fault." His long arms wrapped around her, bringing her to his bare chest. Her arms wrapped around his torso too and she sobbed. Aidou cooed and calmed her, brushing her slightly longer curled with his fingers. She leaned away to study his face, her eyes red from a different reason now.

He hadn't changed much since she'd last seen him. He was still tall and blond and soft and caring and all around perfect.

"Sayori..." Aidou's gaze lowered to her lips and Yori didn't fight what came next: his kiss, his soft, wonderful, passionate kiss.

Reunited with her ex-lover again, she felt at peace.

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**So basically what's happening now is that Zero's going to be shoving Yuuki all over Europe and Kaname is going to try and find her.**

**What's this Maria's feeling...*gasp*...Guilt! And Aidou and Yori are ex-lovers? Hmm, I have some ideas for this.**

**Muahahahahha!**


	9. Ancient

He was stubborn. And masochistic. And malevolent. And vile. And a womanizer. And was just downright gorgeous so people forgot everything else.

That's pretty much how they got into the parties and hotels and restaurants.

"Stop scowling," he muttered from beside her. She did her best not to look up at him because she knew what she would see: the mask he put on for everyone else and she, not being a naive child anymore, wouldn't stand to be dazzled by it any longer. "You can't honestly say that you've never been anywhere like this."

Although she didn't look up she knew he was gesturing to the ancient stone city of Verona. They'd stepped outside to get some air and 'admire' the night when really it was just an argument session. The Italian Pureblood prince here was caring and kind and, as his fiancée commented, they made a beautiful couple and said they were a true vampire Romeo and Juliet -them being from different ancient grudged families and all. Yes Aldo and Isabel were quite the pair.

Yuuki could have laughed at the irony of their story. She knew Zero loved her, but did she love him? Absolutely not.

Couldn't they see that? Couldn't they see the suffering and loneliness in her eyes? Did they not see how wherever she went her captor followed to be sure she couldn't make a getaway?

"Alright...can you pretend to be happy?" Zero asked, the princess had been in a sour mood since Moscow and he was trying not to lose his patience with her. If he wanted to win her heart he'd have to be kind to her -so he's heard.

"I'll try." She muttered, grabbing a glass of wine off a waiter's tray as he went by. She downed it quickly and turned back to her escort/kidnapper who was watching her with raised eyebrows.

"What was that all about?" She swallowed and ignored the little voice in the back of her head telling her to spit it out. Slamming the empty glass down on the waist high stone wall, they were leaning against.

"You wanted me to be happy; you're going to get drunk happy." Another waiter past by and Zero grabbed two glasses and handed one to Yuuki.

"You're underage." He warned, but couldn't keep the smile off his face. He raised his glass to her and waited for her to do the same.

She glared at him and a growl was audible from the back of her throat. "Zero, don't baby me." She raised her glass as well.

Zero's eyes roved over her. She didn't look like a 'baby' anymore. When he'd first met her she had worn a knee length dress that covered everything -she also had white stockings covering her legs- and her long hair was curled into childlike ringlets.

Now she wore a curve hugging red, silk dress that brushed the floor and had a cut running up to about mid-thigh, it was strapless and drew more attention to her exposed neck with a velvet black chocker with a red rose pinned on it. Her hair was down, dead straight and wild.

She had been trying, and succeeding, to torture him.

"Sorry," he said after a long silence. He clicked his glass with hers. "But just so you know I won't be dragging your drunken ass home at four in the morning." She took another gulp of the wine-blood mix before setting it down next to the other one.

"Fair enough, but it is your fault." She lifted the trail of her dress, _obliviously _exposing more of her long legs to him as she hurried up the long staircase in those red, sharp heels.

**Kuran**

"Ruka-san, Akatsuki-san I want you to two proceed to Italy and try and pick up a train there."

"Hai, Kaname-sama." Ruka and Akatsuki said in union. Both of them were dressed for a long trip, but hadn't known where they were going until this evening. Ruka picked up her suitcase and brushed invisible lint off her coat, looking anywhere but the Kuran Pureblood's languid gaze.

"Kain-san, please step out for a moment." Akatuski hesitated for a moment then grabbed his own suticase before give Ruka a quick glance and leaving the room. As the great wooden door shut, the Pureblood spoke. "Ruka-san?" She had no choice but to look now.

"Hai?" She squeaked, making herself a statue.

"I know you were once a lover to the Kuruizaki prince, tell me and do not lie; do you still have feelings for him?" Elegant fingers played with a chess piece on the black-and-white board.

Ruka's face paled and painful images flashed before her, pictures she'd thought she'd burned away from her memory. "Kaname-sama...I..."

The Kuran male raised his head and kept his face an emotion mask. "Yes, Ruka-san?"

"Forgive me, but I still have feelings for him. But my love for him died when he told me to leave him, so as a kindness I will save Yuuki-sama from him."

Kaname's eyes narrowed. "Save? Although Zero has his reputation I do not believe he would harm her."

"That's not what I meant, Kaname-sama," Ruka bowed her head slightly. "You can't forget a love like his." Ruka let her words sink in and then continued. "He is addictive, graceful and tempting...Violet eyes that read into your soul and with all his connections he could get him and any number of guests into any party. I don't see how any sane woman can resist him. ."

The chessboard piece snapped in Kaname's hand and Ruka fought the smile that wanted to grace her features.

"Get. Out."

"Kaname-sama," Ruka bowed and left without another word, relieving herself of what she wanted to say the weight of those words were lifted from her shoulders.

And placed directly on to Kaname's.

**Kuruizaki**

Maria repeatedly tapped her long, red finger nails on the polished wooden table.

"So...Onii-sama has kidnapped the Kuran-hime?" Her maids nodded as they relayed the gossip onto her. "Leave." The maids ran for it and Ichiru looked at his fuming fiancée.

"Maria?"

"Yes, Ichiru, my darling?"

"What are you going to do?"

Maria hesitated and stood from her chair and grabbed the back of her brother's head; pulling him down to her eyelevel.

"_We _and going to wait for our dear, sweet Onii-sama to return and then..." She pulled him closer so that her ruby lips just brushed his. "I'm going to rip that _princess_ limb from limb."

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**Maria...play nice. **

**Please review I got only 4 of them last time I checked...Don't make me cry!**


	10. Chill

All in Zero's defense she was drunk.

_Way_ too much of Isabel's homemade fine wine.

"Yuuki…" he breathed. After leaving Aldo and Isabel's party, and promising to come over tomorrow for diner, Yuuki and Zero decided to walk home.

"Yes, Zero…?" She threw her slim arms around his broad shoulders and smiled up at him. Yuuki had pushed him up against an alley wall a block away from their hotel. It was sudden, it was crazy, and it was something she'd never do in any other situation.

It was the deader hours of the night, almost morning, no one was roaming the streets in fear of Aldo and Isabel's 'pets' that helped keep all unwanted vampire's out of their city.

The gas lamps created an orangey-yellow glow that caught the red tints in the Kuran princess's hair and eyes.

Still heartbreakingly beautiful –even if her Kuran features seemed to scream at him.

Dealing with his inner battle Zero placed his hands on either side of her heart-shaped face and knelt down to her. He caught the smell of the sweet wine she drank and her perfume.

Still sweet to the smell.

Yuuki got up on her tippy-toes and brushed her lips against his. He whispered her name and she smiled in hungry delight.

She could never make Kaname crack the way she could do to Zero. Over the past few hours her drunken mind had been going over way to compare the two.

Kaname was her brother, her fiancé, her everything, she was comfortable around him; she knew she could tell him anything and he would never shun her.

Zero was…amazing, a risk worth taking, something precious she'd never ever want to let go of, he made her blood pump; an adrenalin rush that pulsed through her every time he was near.

Kaname's kisses were sweet and full of love and affection.

Zero's kiss…she had yet to taste.

"Not now, not here." She heard him shallowly whisper. He was battling with himself, she mused. He wanted her, she could feel it radiating off his body.

They walked the rest of the way home in silence, nodding to the doorman, taking the elevator up to the seventh floor and retreating to their private sleeping rooms for the morning.

**Kuran**

The young child danced around the upper gallery of the ball room and peered down at the Kuruizaki Pureblood's bellow.

_Where is she?_

"Rido-san," a chilly voice called. The child turned and flashed a toothy smile at the tall, stealthy woman who towered over him. "I know what you are planning."

"Pleasure to see you too, Shizuka," He took her pale hand in his, but before he could bring it to his lips she withdrew.

"It's people like you who really get on my nerves." She hissed icily.

_The Ice Queen has arisen. _Rido mused, but kept his face impassive and guarded, all the time still smiling at her.

"Whatever do you mean?"

A sharp slap crossed his face and blood started to well in the marks her nails left behind on the child's face.

"Do not treat me like your ex-wife, I know what you are doing and it will never work." Rido's eyes narrowed and Shizuka smiled. "She'll never love you, neither of them will."

"Bitch…" Rido hissed, touching his scared cheek, his blue and red eye both turning bloody red with rage.

"Enjoy the party, Rido-san…Or is it 'Danna' now that we are to be married?" Shizuka giggled at Rido's furious face and walked back down to the party.

**Wakaba**

Hiro, Nara and Sota; Yori's once friends glared at her so chillingly that she felt like crawling under a rock and staying there for the next fifty years or so.

Aidou wrapped his arm possessively around her shoulder and showed the Hunter's what a real icy death glare was.

"Sayori-san," the Headmaster greeted her. "Has Kaname-kun found anything on Yuuki?"

"No, he tried to kill me when he found out it was my fault." Yori whispered and kept her head down, in shame.

"Well, that's a Pureblood for you." Yagari muttered. "At least you're safe Yori." Her eyes widened and looked up at her teacher who was smiling at her.

"S-sensei?" Hiro stuttered.

"What? I spent five years of my life training this girl; I'm not abandoning her -unlike some."

**Souen**

Ruka and Kain tapped away at their laptops trying to figure out where the kidnapped Kuran princess was.

"Ruka," Kain called. "I found something." Ruka closed her laptop and moved over to Kain's side of the train car and leaned into him so she could get a better view of his screen.

"They're in Romania." She growled in annoyance. They were heading to Greece –their last lead. "He certainly is trying to drive us crazy. First stop was Moscow by car, then Verona by plane, then Greece by a train-" Kain cut her off there.

"Nice rhyming Dr. Seuss." Ruka flicked his nose with her forefinger and returned her gaze back to the screen. "He's given us no specific pattern; they're just jumping from country to country."

"Now Romania…how'd they get there?" Kain tapped at the keys and scrolled down the screen.

"Horseback for the first few miles, then by car."

"Well," Ruka stood and flipped her hair back. "We're going to the land of our ancestors."

**Kuran**

Romeo and Juliet. Verona, Italy.

Briseis and Achilles. Troy, Greece.

Was there no end to the forbidden lovers?

No there wasn't.

Ever since her drunk night on the streets of Verona, Yuuki couldn't help but always be watching her kidnapper from the corner of her eye. He hadn't lived up to his womanizer reputation with her that night, he'd refused to kiss her in her most vulnerable state –he hadn't even made fun of her.

Now, for instance, Yuuki was curled up on a soft leather chair with an original copy of Count Dracula –the Count and Mina, sigh- in Romania. Amazingly most of the book was quite accurate: the fangs, the bloodlust, the disappearing into smoke and bats...

She took the chance to look at him once more. It was one of those rare nights when they just stayed in their hotel and relaxed. He wore a black shirt –halfway buttoned- and pants with a pair of leather Italian heeled boots Aldo had given him. His hair was a mess and his eyes were half closed as he was in an almost-asleep-but-not-quite stage.

He felt her gaze on him, but decided to let her look a little longer. She turned her head a little more and then he couldn't help but look up and smile at her.

She turned a light shade of pink on her cheeks but held her ground and waited for him to look away, but neither parties were submissing.

Finally she sighed and turned back to her book as coldly as she could and turned the brittle page with unneeded force. Zero frowned and returned back to his book as well.

_Are you falling for me? _He wondered, next time _he _would be the one caught starring at _her_.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

**Sorry for the long wait, I've just been out of it lately. I ran into three walls today...NEW RECORD! ANyway I'm going to watch the moive Troy now and cry like a baby during Achilles's death scene. C ya!**

**Okay one reviewer -jaceni- asked who's with who. So here is the answer to that:**

**Zero and Yuuki- Kuruizaki and Kuran Purebloods, complicated.**  
Kaname and Yuuki- Kuran Purebloods, engaged.  
**Ichiru and Maria- Kuruizaki Purebloods, engaged.  
**Zero and Maria- Kuruizaki Purebloods, brother and sister  
**Aldo and Isabel- Verrazzeno Purebloods, engaged.**  
Juuri and Haruka- Kuran Purebloods, married.  
**Juuri and Kaien- Pureblood and human, ex-lovers.**  
Shizuka and Iruka- Kuruizaki Purebloods, married.  
**Rido and Shizuka- Kuran and Kuruizaki Purebloods, engaged.**  
Sara and Takuma- Shirabuki Pureblood and Ichijou Noble, dating.  
**Hanabusa and Yori- Aidou Noble and Level D, dating.**

**Reviews are love. Flames are hate and hate makes people ugly -it does it really does.**


	11. Lust

People around them froze as they watched them pass by.

The man was tall and muscular, but slender. His skin was pale and collided with his silver hair and violet eyes; the light colors made him look serene but people who knew well enough knew that wasn't true. He wore a tailored brown, leather jacket -that they knew costed more then everything in their suitcase combined- and a pair of faded yet dark, denim jeans.

At his side was a young woman. She was shorter than her partner, pettie almost. Her long red-brown hair fell down to her waist and wildly curled around her slim shoulders. Her eyes were large and colored brown with the bloody color of crimson undercoating them. She wore a white knee-length coat with black skirt.

"Everyone is starring." He muttered to himself.

"Humans do that, they're not going to hurt us so just relax." Yuuki urged, placing a hand on Zero's arm. Yuuki glanced around and sighed. "Why did you drag me to Germany?"

"Evertime Sara Shirabuki isn't here, I feel oblidjed to come. Also I like the food." She giggled a bit and Zero peered down at her.

"So, you don't like Sara?"

"Particularly not." Zero opened the door of their car and Yuuki hesitated.

"Because the Council wants you to marry her?"

"How did you hear about that?" Yuuki shrugged and slid inside. Zero joined her, slamming the door to signal for the driver to go. "I made sure that know one found out about it."

"Hey, when I use to be quiet and not back talk the way I do now I learned things. Careful next time you pick on me, I have enough material on you to complete destroy your reputation." Carelessly she flipped a lock of her long hair back and smiled at him. Then turned and propped her elbow on the window sill and put her head on her hand.

"I think I liked you better when you where quiet and scared all the time." Zero teased.

"No you didn't." She answered without turning.

"Yeah, your right." There was a long silence and the two starred out their windows.

"So...You like me now?" Zero almost jumped but quickly fixed his pokerface.

"Turning sixteen _really_ gave you a million comebacks didn't it?" She smiled and fought back her laugh the entire way to the hotel.

**~X~**

Yuuki entered the hotel room and tore down the hallway. Not caring to hang up her coat or turn on the lights. But she did remember to shut the door -slamming it as Zero had done earlier. She was pretty sure she'd damaged the wood and cracked the plaster, though she honestly didn't care.

The golden room became a blur around her as she walked, to fast for a human to see. Tears that threatened to fall stung her eyes and a plump was rising in her throat. She found her room -that she'd called dibs over two days ago when they arrived in Germany- and slammed the door again and locked it.

Feeling all the more dramatic, Yuuki threw herself against the dark wood and force her frustrated breath out.

_What just happened? _She screamed inside her head. Zero walked her to the hotel room door and said he hand something to take care of -after Romania he'd trusted her to be alone for a short time- she'd nodded and reached for the door then...

Kaname's face flashed in her mind and her tears flowed harder.

...He'd placed his hand on her cheek. She looked up at him in question of the gesture, but before he could speak he leaned down and placed a kiss on her other cheek, near the corner of her lips. Then he turned and walked away. Yuuki had starred in that spot he had been standing in for a good few minutes before she'd been able to move again.

Now here she was on her bedroom floor crying; trying to figure out how'd she'd gotten from there to here.

First she hated him. She hated him with a burning firing passion. She wanted him to drop dead and rot in hell.

Then she was confused. She didn't know what she wanted with him. Firing passion came to mind, but she wasn't sure if it was for him to die or for her to love him.

_Love _him? How could she? How could she let it happen? Had cupid snuck up behind her and shot her with his arrow? How? Why? What reason did she have to love _him _-her kidnapper- of all people?

Thinking about it Yuuki summed up a few reasons.

It was in the way she'd find herself staring at the back of his -she'll admit- gorgeous head and when he'd catch her and smile softly back at her.

It was in the way he'd constantly be touching her: brushing hair from her face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, placing his hand on the small of her back as they walked through a crowd.

She drew in a shaky breath and leaded back against the cool door. One hand clutching her throat and the other tracing her lips.

It was in his intimacy with her: his smothering eyes roving over her, his fangs sinking into her skin and...

"Dear God help me." She whispered.

...his kiss.

**Kuran**

Juuri anxiously waited by the door.

No Haruka wasn't coming home and she knew know of her friends were coming to visit. In fact it was the complete opposite of friends, these people were killers, kidnappers and her families sworn enemy.

A quick rap at the door made her jump, but she quickly composed herself and answered the door before the maids could get it. On the threshold before her stood a C-ranked vampire holding a small, human infant and an umbrella over her master's heads.

"Good evening, Juuri-san." The silver haired female said. She smiled but Juuri could tell it was fake.

"Evening, Maria, Ichiru. Kaname and Haruka are in the living room." She side stepped and allowed them to enter her house. Beside her usual childish behavior, Maria was polite. Handing her coat off to the maids, instead of dropping it on the floor, and rubbing her shoes off on the mat before stepping inside, instead of on the expensive carpet. Ichiru smiled as usual and commented on the rain and asked if their servant could get something for Kyra -the human baby- to drink.

"Kaname-kun," Maria smiled at the Pueblood male who'd seemed to have aged a year with grief. "When you called us we couldn't believe it at first. Our maid, Chiyo, said the Kuran household phoned, but I thought her old age was catching up to her. So after my mother found use for her at dinner and you phoned again..." She trailed off letting her fingers dance over the piano keys, then turned back to him. "Well, I was in such a state of shock Ichiru had to take the phone from me."

"Interesting story," Kaname said. "Here's another one...We'd like to know where Zero is holding my sister."

Ichiru's eyes widened at the malice in his tone. "You haven't been able to figure it out?" Kaname glared at him. "Alright, alright so we know...But we have some conditions as well."

Maria's voice felling into her business tone. "If you hurt him we will have war, Kuran, and we will strike out at your sister first."

"Funny thing for you to say when you are, in fact, _in the house of Kuran. _Watch your tongue, young one." Juuri growled as she entered the room.

"You have a deal, now where are they?"

"Ichiru?" Maria turned to her fiance. Ichiru pulled a slip of paper from his jacket.

"It was quite difficult to locate them. Zero has credit cards and I do know how to track them, but he laid out two completely different trails, my brother is smart. So after some more spying, scoping and chatting with a few friends I found them in Germany, but now they are heading to Paris, France. There plane landed two hours ago."

Kaname starred at them in silence for a moment then nodded. "Thank you, I'll send my team over."

**Kuruizaki**

Zero laid in bed. Not sleeping, he couldn't sleep when he was so aware of her nearness.

She was in the next room, across from his, the walls were thick, but his heightened senses could hear _everything._

The whisper of clothes when she changed for dinner that night, or into that nightgown. The tossing of her sheets. Her gentle breathing. Her heartbeat and the blood pumping in her veins.

It was easy to say that she was driving him insane -in fact she already drove him off that cliff, she was driving him somewhere else now- and now she wasn't even _trying. _It was just everything that made her Yuuki, every small gesture or habit she did he couldn't help but love. Even the bad things.

Like her current little idea to completely shun him -they haven't spoken since Germany.

"Argh..." Frustrated, Zero rolled out of bed and opened the door to his room and crossed the hallway to Yuuki's. Without skipping a beat he raised his fist and landed a sharp knock on the door. "Yuuki open up."

He waited and pounded on the wood once more, calling her name.

Around the fourth time the door opened in mid-knock. "What!" She snapped, her hand gripped the door and she snarled at him. Zero lowered his hand he used to knock with and glared down at her. Trying to ignore the fact that she was wearing her nightgown that he'd marked as his favorite.

"I want to know what your problem is." He said, his voice husky from his current thoughts.

"_Your_ my problem."

Zero's mouth became a tight line. "I don't recall me doing anything wrong."

"YOU KISSED ME!" She yelled, her face ducking down as it, involuntarily, flashed crimson. He recalled the peck on the cheek -near her lips- he'd given her in Germany, but quickly shook it off.

"And?" Her hand rose and hit him, full force, across his face. Unlike when the times Ruka or when Maria smacked him his head snapped sideways. He hadn't been expecting...then again he couldn't expect anything with her. He couldn't read Yuuki the way he could with any other girl. What she did or said next would surprise him.

His hand reached up and took her wrist.

"You can't do that so casually! I'm engaged! Do you know what that means? That I should be in love with my fiance-" she stopped herself then and suddenly the waves of anger she'd been lashing out stopped.

"'Should be'?" Tears formed in her eyes and she tried to retreat back into the room, but Zero kept a firm hold on her.

"Never mind, go away."

"Yuuki-"

"I said go away!"

"I won't do that, Yuuki. Not until you tell me what you meant!"

"What does it matter to you?" She asked with a sigh, her eyes refusing to look up at him as she stared down at the ground.

His lilac eyes watched the way her hair blew in the slight breeze that entered the room via the open door in silence for a moment, trying to find the right words to explain. His usual cocky attitude was gone, his face unreadable in the darkness of the room and his feet moved of their own accord, pushing her further into the shadowed room as he kicked the door shut behind him.

Maybe she could explain with actions instead.

He continued to push, ignoring her feeble attempts to free herself from the hold he had on her, refusing to stop until she was pressed against the closest wall, her body trapped under his much larger one.

They were almost impossible to see, surrounded by darkness as they were, and his free hand rose up, his fingertips lightly brushing the soft skin at her cheek, wiping away the small drops of tears that marred her perfect face. His gentle actions were opposed by the violent threats that passed through Yuuki's lips, still trying to escape him.

"Let go of me, Kuruizaki! Leave me alone." She hissed, wincing as his grip tightened around her wrist, his other hand sliding down from her cheek to her waist, his fingers clamping down at the skin there and effectively stopping any movement from her.

"Yuuki.." He whispered, his head lowering until their faces were just centimeters apart, so close he could feel her ragged breathing brushing over his face and he basked in the scent it brought along, letting it wash over him and pollute his senses. His forehead was planted on hers before he registered closing the distance, his lips just lightly brushing over hers.

Zero could see the hazy look in her eyes, the out of focus gaze that was all the invitation the Pureblood needed.

His lips were forceful, pressing hungrily on hers and he inhaled her gasp of shock, eagerly taking full advantage of her open mouth to slip his tongue in, running it along the warm confines. His trademark smirk returned as he took in her immobile state, all fight in her gone. His hand loosened from around her wrist, the alabaster fingers trailing up her arm and towards her hair, stroking the silky strands lovingly. He pulled her closer into his body when he felt her almost unnoticeable movements that brought their lips closer, finally allowing him to show his feelings to the young brunette.

Their eyes slid close in unison, both of their breathing uneven as the kiss continued and Zero couldn't help but feel smug. Finally getting the Kuran princess to submit herself to him was better then he ever had imagined and his blood burned in excitement with each brush of their lips.

The grip at her waist went down. A long hand circled around her thigh, causing the female to gasp at the touch and he brought her leg up, drawing it around his waist and nudging her other leg with his elbow, encouraging her to let it do the same and both legs connected around his back. Her hands followed in an attempt to steady herself as he pulled them away from the wall, turning them around to walk back across the room. He stopped only when his knees hit the edge of the King sized bed, ignoring the dull ache the sharp contact brought and, without releasing her lips, Zero lay the female down on the bed.

He heard the mattress squeak at the couples combined weight as he hovered over her, looking straight into her eyes and his hand went to pull at the fabric of her night dress, eager fingertips brushing over the milky skin that slowly began to present itself.

* * *

**Okay, Disaster wrote this and I must say I love her dearly for putting up with me.**

**Now contest time! If you would like to continue Zero and Yuuki's...night together right a fic and send a note to me and I'll tell you the winner in the next chapter. Your prize would be a few spoilers to future chapters and let me tell ya, they are gold.**


	12. Cry

Yuuki raised her head from the pillow when she heard the migraine worthy knock at the hotel door. Her gaze was blurry at first but then cleared so she could see the alarm clock on the nightstand that repeatedly blinked six thirdly.

Groaning she sat up, only to receive sharp pains with the sudden movement.

Why would she be in so much-

Last night's events rushed back to her and a mad blush spread across her face.

For a moment she wondered if it was a dream and, in spite of herself, she turned around to see the silver haired male fast asleep on the next to her. She yelped in surprise and shot to her feet -still the Kuruizaki prince was in deep sleep, snoring softly.

With her eyes still on him, Yuuki walked to the corner of the room and grabbed her bathrobe to cover herself with.

Her thoughts were panicked worried over a million details on the night before.

How much did she remember?

What would her family say?

What would his family say?

What if she was pregnant?

Her blood ran cold at the last one and her eyes started to fill with tears.

_Kaname…_ The dimming memory of her handsome, older brother only made her want to cry harder_. His soft smile, his long hair, his red eyes, his understanding to everything…._

Suddenly she wondered what it would be like if she'd never gone after Yori alone that night.

Zero wouldn't have captured her, that was for sure, and she wouldn't be in this situation.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Exiting the room quickly Yuuki reached the hotel door in record time. And without looking through the peephole she instead unlatched the locks and opened the door to two weary looking aristocrat vampires.

She remembered these two.

Akatsuki Kain and Ruka Souen, they were allies of her brother.

Ruka face heated up when she saw Yuuki and the princess watched the emotion's lay in the aristocrat's hazelnut eyes: relief…realization…fury…denial…jealously…more fury.

"Yuuki-sama, under order of your brother we have been instructed to bring you back to your family." Kain spoke in a nonchalant voice that proved he didn't care or wanted to know. "Is Zero-sama still here?"

Yuuki's throat became dry and she stared up at the tall vampire confused on why –or how- he could be this blunt.

"He's sleeping." Ruka's face became a normal shade and her voice became business-like.

"Alright then…Grab your things and we'll sneak you out."

"Um…" Yuuki's face became red upon remembering exactly _where_ Zero was sleeping. There was no way she could get her things without waking him up.

"Akatsuki, go wait in the in the hall I'll handle things up here." Ruka turned to her partner and he nodded. Ruka stepped further into the foyer and closed the door behind her. She stared at the princess in front of her and her eyes softened.

_God she's so young. _

"Yuuki-sama, where is he?"

"My room." She whispered. Before either of them knew what was happening Ruka wrapped her arms around Yuuki in an embrace. And like that the princess broke and Ruka soothed her, not caring that she was seeing a Pureblood cry or comforting her ex-boyfriend's lover for that matter.

In that moment they were equal and Yuuki needed comforting.

After a few moments Ruka pulled away and handed Yuuki a handkerchief from her pocket. "You get something to eat from the kitchen and I'll grab your things." Yuuki looked ready to oppose, but Ruka stopped her. "Don't worry, he doesn't scare me."

**Kuruizaki**

The sound of the door opening and closing again woke Zero up for the second time this morning. At first he was a little smug, knowing Yuuki was back and then concerned.

Something heavy landed on the foot of the bed and Zero bolted upward to see it wasn't Yuuki who'd entered, but Ruka. Looking as beautiful and as pissed as ever.

"Good morning, sunshine." She hissed nastily at the same time she opened the blinds and sunlight poured in through the window and illuminated the room.

Zero growled and blocked the light with his hand.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ruka?" The blonds' face stayed passive and she turned from him to the closest and started to take down and fold Yuuki's clothes then packing them into the suitcase she'd thrown on the bed. "What are you doing?"

"The usual, serving my Lord and Master, but a different one." Looking at the dress in her hands she turned back to the bureau and grabbed undergarments to go along with them. Without looking at Zero she exited the room and stalked off into the hall.

"Here's a suitable outfit for today." Ruka's voice changed to something softer, almost motherly.

"Thank you, Ruka." Yuuki answered her voice rough like she'd been crying. Zero's attention turned to that but before he could get out of the bed Ruka was back and slammed the door again. Seeming even more pissed than she was before.

"She is sixteen-years-old!" Ruka growled lowly, her eyes flashing crimson. "And you deprive her of her most precious gift." She returned to the task of putting Yuuki's clothes into the suitcase but rougher. "You are something, Zero Kuruizaki. You are just…a piece of work."

"I don't recall her stopping me." It came out before he could stop it.

Ruka's head inclined to him and shoved a silk dress a little too harshly into the suitcase. "You…oh dear God I can think of a million things to call you right now. So many nasty things, but they're all too good for you!"

There was a tense silence and Ruka turned to check that the closest was empty and zipped up the suitcase. Looking back at Zero she sighed and hung her head.

"I came here and I found her near tears, Zero. What does that tell you? She's broken…" Ruka sighed heavily. "And torn between Kaname and you. She loves you and you…are not the right choice." Sliding the luggage off the bed Ruka walked out to the room in silence. "See you around."

**Kuran**

Yuuki couldn't remember ever show any emotion in front of a Noble.

She always stayed calm and collected and impassive around them. It seemed so unnatural now to be letting the daughter of Souen comfort her.

"You can tell me whatever it is you need to say, Yuuki-sama. I will not hold it against you and you need to let these sorts of things out." Ruka rubbed Yuuki's shoulder and moved hair away from her face. Kain sat up front with the limo driver, giving the girls privacy.

"I kept comparing him to Kaname and…" Yuuki's head fell forward and she hid her face with her hands. "I thought I loved him."

Ruka nodded. "I thought I did too…" Yuuki looked up at Ruka, shocked. "He broke it off with me…a few days before he kidnapped you."

And with that the proud Kuran princess: cried.

* * *

**Yes, this is an angst chapter but it is very important to the rest of the story! Thank you for all of you who entered a chapter outtake for chapter 11: Lust and as you wanted you will get no spoilers. And another thank you too ApocalypticDisaster for reminding me about this chapter.**

**Furthermore my new laptop is fixed and I shall return to my cave to write.**

**~QueenVamp**


	13. Deserve

Yuuki stared at the blank white wall for the longest time.

_How much longer will this take? _She rubbed her arms through the thin paper gown that the doctor had given her and pondering on whether to change back in her regular clothes.

Then again, she didn't want to wear those outfits.

Zero had helped pick them out.

And she didn't want to be reminded of Zero.

The door opened and Ruka entered the room with a gentle sigh.

"Yuuki-san, I have some bad news." She settled in a revolving chair that the vampire doctor had sat in, as Yuuki stayed perched on the observation table.

"You're not pregnant, that's a good thing. You're unmarried and Kuruizaki-san isn't your fiancé." Yuuki had gotten use to Ruka's blunt way of putting things and because they'd become so close she really didn't mind.

Yuuki smiled a little and sighed. "It's a good thing Purebloods can't conceive easily." Ruka frowned and her beautiful face seemed to age a few years.

"That's the bad news, Yuuki; the doctor said…in the future it will be difficult for you to have children." Yuuki was not fazed.

"My mother already told me that when the time comes for children, I'd always have to try a little harder."

"Yes, yes, I know but…" Ruka sighed heavily, she didn't want to be the one to tell her this, but now that they had to kill that doctor, she was the only one who could. "Pakku-hakase said you were infertile and that you may never be able to have children."

On the outside Yuuki's face was impersonally blank, but on the inside trauma had set in. The girl inside who was always screaming because of the emotions she had to keep locked up, Ruka, Kaname and…Zero had seen short flashes of this girl but she was never fully revealed.

_"Pakku-hakase said you were infertile and that you may never be able to have children." _The words echoed and repeated themselves in Ruka's distressed voice.

"…and we had to kill him."

"What?" Yuuki realized that Ruka was still talking.

"We had to kill him." Ruka repeated. "This can't get out. This stays between your family and whomever you trust with this secret."

"Is there any possible way he could have made a mistake?" It took all she had to keep her voice from cracking.

"Your still young…you may still have a chance for heirs."

"And what if I can't?"

"You will."

"But what if I can't?"

"Wait and see."

"Ruka!" Yuuki locked eyes with the other female. "What. If. I. Can't?"

"You'll have to talk to Kaname-sama about that…"

"No." Yuuki said softly. "No one will know. We are not going to tell him about _this_."

"Yuuki-sama," Ruka started to panic. "You have to,"

"No I don't." She jumped down from the table. "Ruka, I don't want him or anyone else to think any less of me. If the Council finds out, they'll arrange Kaname with someone else. If anyone finds out they'll all just push me aside and forget I ever existed." Tears started to work up in her eyes. "You won't tell anyone."

Ruka stared at the princess in silence and found that she was right. If any of the Elder's dogs found out they would try to convince Kaname with someone who could bare children.

"And, as you said, I'm still young. I still may have a chance." Yuuki's eyes were pleading and full of emotion, so much hurt.

_This would destroy her. One more wrong twist of faint and her soul will break. _Ruka never felt so sympathetic in her life, already she was starting to think of the princess as a little sister. Again in that moment they were equal, and the elder girl would have to do another rare act of kindness for this girl.

"As you wish, I won't breathe a word."

"Thank you." Yuuki sighed. "I'm going to get dressed and then we'll go back to the hotel and continue on our way home." Ruka bowed and exited the room and Yuuki redressed, still not being able to shake the new knowledge spinning in her mind.

Although a small sliver of hope was in her heart, the princess knew:

She'd never be a mother.

She'd never have her own son or daughter.

She'd never produce an heir for the Kuran throne.

Silently she kissed good-bye all the little babies she'd never hold, never feed, never name.

**Kuruizaki**

The dark limonene drove down the twisted road in the middle of the night, but the drive and his passenger were accustomed to the dark.

The young prince especially.

Everything Ruka had said to him had been repeating in his mind for the past few days and what's worse he hadn't gotten to say sorry to Yuuki or see her off.

_Had I hurt her that much? _His mind made images of Yuuki crying and each one became a stab to his heart. He'd never seen Yuuki cry.

He'd seen her upset and angry and, most of the time, happy.

But tears, he couldn't imagine them on her angelic face.

"Master? We have arrived." Nodding Zero exited the car and started across the gravel path to the house, leaving the chauffeur to his bags.

Another thing dwindled in his mind.

_"And torn between Kaname and you. She loves you…" _

Zero had the reputation of a woman killer. He fell in love easily.

Amu…

Maria…

Ruka…

Yuuki…But with her it felt different; new.

This girl truly, and unconditionally, loved him back.

Even as a Pureblood flaws were inevitable and Yuuki loved him even though his past was tainted and the blood of many people painted it red.

He didn't _deserve_ her.

She shouldn't even _like_ him.

_I'm a horrible person and…_

No sooner than he'd stepped into the foyer, Maria had attacked him with a hug.

"Onii-sama! Your home!" Putting on his best no-teeth smile, Zero slung an arm around her. Maria looked up at him with her own smile. "I've missed you. But now your back and you're not leaving our sight."

_My precious sister._

"We'll see about that." He spotted Ichiru leaning in the archway, arms crossing his chest, his face sour.

"You had us worried, brother." Zero smirked at his twin's tone.

"What? Are you going to give me the cold shoulder because you're not the man of the house anymore?" That made Ichiru smile and he strode forward and clapped Zero's shoulder.

"Maybe a little, it was fun."

_My kind brother._

Ichiru laughed and for a moment every was back to the way it was before marriage and power ruled their lives. It was a more peaceful time: when their father was alive and they all slept in Zero's room because, even in their teen years, thunder storms and the thought of being alone scared them all to bits.

As usual, Shizuka was absent from this her warming moment.

"C'mon, Okaa-sama wants to see you." Maria released her brother and trotted ahead down the corridor to their mother's bedroom.

Shizuka never went to see people; people always went to see her, as she had put it. But when she had to meet someone she said that she was going somewhere so she could be seen, not because of beckon call.

A little self centered, maybe.

Maria threw open the double doors and revealed the smoky room with burgundy curtains and other dark colors. Books scattered across the floor, along with clothes and other various articles of clothing. The bed was unmade and the comforter ripped off the bed and lay across an elegant couch.

Everything else in the room was dark and shadowed, almost too much for the vampire eyes, but the three could sense someone inside.

Hopefully their mother.

Shizuka never let any of the maids touch this room. She said it smelled too strongly of Iruka for her to part with it and with had been his room growing up.

"M-mother?" Maria called about to step onto the dark red carpet.

"Stop…" They all froze into place.

What they saw first was a long trail of snow white hair pulled back into a braid decorated with cherry blossoms. Her hair reminded them of Rapunzel from a book Iruka use to read to them when they were children.

Then the silver and pink colored kimono that was fitted loosely, like Shizuka had tied the elaborate patterned obi herself.

Her face was pale as a sheet and her pink eyes seemed almost hollow, like all emotions were taken from her.

With startling speed the Madly Blooming Princess swept forward and smacked her defiant son across his face, proving that she too was strong enough to knock his head sideways like very few could.

Maria almost jumped to keep her brother from falling and Ichiru was just too shocked that Shizuka had smacked their brother to be much of help.

"Ow…" Zero pulled his hand away to look at the drops of red that lingered on his fingertips. His gaze casted upward at the fuming woman who seemed to be ten feet tall now.

"Mother, why…!"

"No, Maria, I deserved that." Zero cut his sister off; he stood tall and waited for her next blow. It was better than lying on the ground, that's how she did _real_ damage.

"Do you have any idea," Shizuka started, her voice laced with anger. Zero almost cringed, her chastising voice was heard many times during his childhood, but never had she sounded this angry. "…how worried I was?"

What had shocked him more was when his mother wrapped her arms around him in a crushing embrace.

_My theatrical, loving mother._

They all loved him unconditionally as well.

He hugged back as he found a finish to his earlier statement.

_I'm a horrible person and…I don't deserve love._

* * *

**Yes, another angst chapter and a little fluff and drama.**

**-Sigh- Yuki's inability to have children will be a problem in the future because the next chapter is a TIME SKIP! And as cruel as it sounds I've been wanting to write that chapter for awhile now, I read another FanFic (one about Katara and Zuko from _Avatar: The Last Airbender. _Yes, I am a Zutaraian and in my mind Maiko does not exist!) ****It was very sad and very well written and very 'dark' (as the author puts it). But it has a happy ending were Katara says she took a birth control pill and she has a full pregnancy and gives birth to a son.**

**Anyways, Review!**

**Flames = Hate. Hate = Ugly soul or a very outspoken mind.**

**~QueenVamp**


	14. Inable

**Six Years Later**

In the darkest confines of the Kuran manor the young princess sat on the basement floor; sobbing.

Kaname watched her from the shadows, his own heart breaking from seeing his wife in this state.

She'd sensed him and only sobbed harder.

_Three years. _Her mind taunted.

It had taken her three years for her to conceive a child with her husband, an heir to all the Kuran name had to offer, and it took her only three seconds to lose him.

Him.

_It was a male._

The miscarriage had been a sad, dark day in the Kuran household and the rest of the world had been affected as well. Everyone had been so excited for the newborn prince or princess to arrive, but once a maid who experienced the bloody scene got free, everyone knew.

And they were thrown a party to commemorate him.

_Throw a party for my son's death._

Miscarriages were rare among vampires. Even though children were more of a human affair they were quite important to society so their kind could live on. And even though that balance was dwindling, miscarriages weren't the most common of cases.

"Yuuki…" she sunk further into the corner, trying to become one with the wall so that she wouldn't have to face him, she'd done well to avoid him for this long. Mother and Father had guarded the basement door to be sure Kaname didn't get in, he must of taken a different route.

"The door was locked for a reason." Another sob shook her and she tried to sound angry, but she couldn't. Once Kaname's arms wrapped around her she embraced him back, barring her face in his shoulder.

"I…can't…Why did that have to happen?" She wailed like a child, her memory haunted by the night of her unborn child's death.

_So much blood…_Animalistic tendencies arose within her at the sight of it all. Rich, young, royal Pureblood blood. _Monster. Monster. Monster! Your own son!_

"Things like this happen." Kaname spoke after a long silence.

Though he'd never be able to tell her the truth.

**~X~**

Hours later the couple was surrounded by their friends and many other Nobles.

The ballroom was casted in a sinister and ominous darkness as the clad black guests watched the royal couple with a look too disappointed to be sympathy. The only noise in the room was the sounds of footsteps and whispering behind gloved hands.

Though Yuuki could hear them.

And in truth they didn't care.

Two young women took up their places beside the Lady Pureblood as her husband was whisked away by the Elder Council. One of them brushed her shoulder against Yuuki's, the strange moment of contact comforted her and she glanced at her friend.

The sculpture of perfection that was Ruka Souen looked tired. Knowing the secret that everyone in the room was dying to know must be killing her. An unbearable weight as everyone thought up possible assassins or things the carrier of the child could have done wrong.

"Is it me? Or is it so loud in here?" Yori whispered.

"This is supposed to be a wake not a wine social." Her husband added bitterly, running his finger through his blond hair. "It makes me ashamed to be a Noble." He said loud enough for a gossiping pair to hear. They blushed and scurried away.

Yuuki felt herself slipping into the darkness again, feeling the plaguing need to just cry, as Kaname had let her.

But she couldn't.

She was in public.

Sometimes she just wished she was born human. They got to let all their emotions out wherever they were.

"It's so sad…"

"…she probably was moving around too much…"

"I can only image how Kaname-sama and Yuuki-sama must feel…"

"…she won't be around much longer…

"…the Elders will defiantly…"

"Sara Shirabuki will…"

Yuuki's hand became tight fists and she bit into her lip, her face blushing red at her growing anger. Breaking away from her friends she headed in the direction Kaname had left in.

"Yuuki," they called after her, but she ignored them.

She wanted to leave.

She wanted to leave _right now_.

She raised her hand to knock on the wooden door, but froze when she heard the voices on the other side.

"Yuuki-sama's miscarriage was a tragedy." Her eyes flashed crimson. _Doesn't sound like you think it's a 'tragedy'. _She tried to put a face to the voice but couldn't. Although she'd only met the Elders once she was sure she'd remember such a…grave sounding voice.

"Ichiou, you brought me here to ask me what you already know the answer to." Kaname's voice touched her ears and Yuuki shivered at his tone.

"_He_ will change your mind." Someone whispered within the room. Probably in the back?

"I doubt that. Persuasive, he may be, but he can't make me leave my wife." There was a chuckle inside the room and the voice of a teenage boy filled the room with a taunting comeback.

"We shall see."

Everything inside of her was screaming to run.

Who was '_he_'?

Another Council dog?

Slowly she backed away from the door.

**~X~**

Yuuki stared out into the distance of trees and wildlife.

Still, she was stuck at the party and Kaname hadn't come out of that room yet, so she decided to stand out on the terrace until she was sure she wouldn't break down crying.

No such luck.

With the anxiety of the Elders and this party Yuuki forgot what this gathering was for anyway.

Her son.

Shouldn't they be mourning the crystallized shards he'd been deduced to instead of pitying her? Couldn't they all at least pretend to love the Purebloods as much as they said they did? For this one night?

"Yuuki…" Yori's voice rose nervously. She was the only one left to make sure no one came outside because Aidou had been called to the meeting and Ruka's mother wanted to speak with her.

"Um, someone wants to see you…" Anger stabbed at her and she felt the stone banister crack under her hands.

"Send them away." She said as coolly as she possibly could.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion…"

_That voice. _She turned her head slightly to confirm that Zero Kuruizaki was standing in the archway with Yori.

The moment his eyes locked with hers she felt the chill she'd always had was gone. His hair had grown longer, blowing softly in the wind and obscuring his strange expression.

Compassion?

No, no, defiantly not.

"I came to pay my respects, unlike some people in there..." His voice, just as she remembered it, trailed off.

She turned away and prayed he'd just leave she didn't want to be bothered. He said a few things to Yori and she, reluctantly, stalked away under her master's order. Obviously going to break into the Elder's meeting to fetch someone who didn't have to do everything Zero said.

Even more angry than she was before; part of the banister crumbled under her hands.

"Don't be mad at Sayori, I just want to talk to you."

"Well, I never said I wanted to talk to you." She countered. Zero's voice was still calm and had a soothing ring to it. Like he actually cared what she felt.

"What was his name?"

The question stunned her.

No one, not even Kaname, had asked her that. She'd been playing with names for the longest time for this baby and inside her the perfect name seemed to diminish.

"Keitaro." She said after a long silence.

"Blessing?" Zero asked. She nodded. "Well, I suppose that would be fitting, a Pureblood child is a blessing to have."

"Yes," _Especially for me. _She restrained herself from adding.

_He doesn't need to know._

_No one does._

"What are you doing here, Zero?"

"You know why."

_Him._

Maybe Zero was the him the Elders were talking about.

Hadn't he done enough to mess up her life?

She tried to be angry, but she found she couldn't. Old feelings were stirring inside he with just the thought of him being here with her. Yuuki faced Zero and noticed that he'd come closer to her, but still was respecting her space. He almost looked nervous.

"I never got the chance to apologize for what happened six years ago." He said softly. "I'm sorry and if makes you feel any better Ruka ripped into me about what happened."

"It does…a little." She admitted. Zero smirked, but didn't continue with the details of what Ruka did. He was about to speak again but she cut him off. "Zero…what happened, happened and there is no way you can change that." She remembered how scared she was when she woke up that morning, how guilty she felt. Feeling like she betrayed Kaname –which she did.

"Are you reassuring yourself or me on that?" He asked suddenly.

She went still and her eyes widened. "What…?"

"Never mind, I need to leave, Sayori will be coming back with her husband any minute now. I don't want to cause a scene…" Starting to back out through the archway Yuuki kept her eyes pinned on him.

"Kaname is down the hall." She said emotionlessly. Zero nodded and turned his back on her.

"You married him right?"

She looked down at the ground.

Why did she feel so guilty?

"Yes, I did."

"Oh," and then he was gone.

Tears burned in her eyes.

_Zero…_

The dark and seductive Zero Kuruizaki made her feel so…

"Hello, Yuu-ki." A dark voice poured over the syllables of her name.

Whipping around at the sound of it, the Kuran princess locked eyes with the tall, wild haired man standing on the railing behind her.


	15. Rido

She remembered waking up to the feelings sharp pain in her stomach. And the smell of blood, hers. She'd bolted upward, hands flying to her stomach to see the red bleeding through her crisp, white nightgown. While she screamed for help and untangled herself from the sheets of the bed to stand, she'd seen Rido –her uncle- leaving through the open window in her bedroom chamber laughing darkly as he'd disintegrated into millions of bats before anyone saw him take out into the night.

"You!" She screamed accusingly. The man smiled wider, realizing that the princess remembered him.

"Yes, me," he jumped down from the balcony railing and gazed down at the girl who was shaking with anger.

"You're the reason Keitaro is dead!" Tears started to pool out of her eyes and the glass windows cracked musically.

Yuuki was letting everything out of her: all her anger, all her hate, all her Power.

She was untrained in how to fight, but a Lady Pureblood never fell short when it came to defending herself. Her mother proved that millions of times.

"I have done-" Before he could finish large shards from the stone balcony were hurled at him. One or two of them nicked his face and shoulder but nothing too meager in damage. "Will you stop?" His face twisted in annoyance and unseen Power lashed out violently at him –stabbing through his body.

Yuuki stared onward, not even looking at the man as she attacked.

She didn't want to see the blood.

She could already smell it as it wafted through her senses.

When she withdrew from the elder Kuran was knelt over his wound, muttering a few curses as dark red blood flowed freely from his body –tempting her nose, but she refused the alluring aroma. When she spoke again her voice was deadly.

"I'm more powerful than I'm given credit for. I hold back because I don't want to destroy, but for my son…" More tears streamed from her eyes and her hands balled into fists. "I'll kill mercilessly!"

Rido smirked as he began to heal unconsciously.

She should have attacked again then.

"And the Council treats you like a delicate flower…you truly are my niece." Yuuki's jaw locked. "I came to make a deal with you, Yuuki."

"No." She hissed.

"I will speak. I'm your elder-"

"Elder-ly." She spat venomously and she attacked him again. Sadly, this time Rido fired back and Yuuki was knocked sideways, back against the stone wall on either side of the door. Rido then made his advance and pinned her there, grabbing her wrist and putting them above her head.

"Why'd you kill him?" Yuuki whispered, unable to concentrate enough to attack.

"The Kuran line shall not continue; I'll be sure of that. Neither you nor your mother will conceive another child as long as I'm around." He smiled at the obvious idea that flinted through her mind. "But if you really want a little baby to care for I'm yet to have a legal heir of my own."

Her eyes widened and Yuuki thrashed against his hold, making him grip her harder and push her further into the stone wall.

"Urgh!...Let go of me!" She screamed loudly, hoping someone would hear her.

"What about the Kuruizaki prince? You gave him all of your little heart, my girl. Why not a Kuran male?"

Yuuki's anger spiked and she flung everything she had at him.

He diminished into bats.

_"You'll know where to find me." _Were his parting words before Kaname came out onto the balcony.


	16. Slat

**Kuran**

By the way Aidou Sayori was digging her fangs into her bottom lip the Kuran Princess could tell she was not comfortable with this subject, even the shy glances from Souen Ruka –her anchor for over the past six years- weren't giving her an ounce of the support she desperately needed in this dark hour.

"A-are you sure?" Yori whispered, lowering her tea glass to its platter and setting that on the table. Her sun kissed face was rosier than usual, perhaps from the conversation. "Could, er, Rido-sama even do that?"

"Of course, he could." Ruka tapped her sharp nails against the clothed table and glanced around the room. "In fact, _he_ could be in this very room _right _now." Yuuki's eyes shot in the direction of the darkness and then back at Ruka.

"Rue, not funny."

"I'm just saying."

"Well…don't." The Kuran Princess leaned further back into her chair, balancing it on the two back legs and letting her head lull back and her eyes closed. No one else in the house. _Okaa-sama and Otou-sama are in Kobe for the week and Onii-sama is at a Council meeting…perfect. _"I hate thinking that _that _three-thousand year old bastard would be in my house when Kaname isn't home…I think you could understand my fear as to _why_."

Yori's hand covered her mouth and she leaned forward. "You don't think he'd…um; take advantage of you to get an heir, do you?"

"Yes, Yori-chan, yes I do. You didn't see the way he looked at me, or how he attacked me…And his eyes –they're the strangest color…" Ruka's hand touched her shoulder and she smiled, soft and beautiful.

"Did you tell Kaname-sama?"

"_No, _I don't want to be locked up again. I was born in secret because of Rido and I'll be forced back into hiding because of him. I'm. Not. Running."

Ruka and Sayori sighed and continued their 'brunch' with some lighter conversation.

**Kuruizaki**

Maria was at it again, Zero and Ichiru mused. Seven-year-old Kiryuu Kyra was following her around like a puppy trying to comfort the raging Pureblood as her demands for order fell on deaf ears.

"Maria-sama," Kyra cooed, handing the silver haired woman a glass of bloodwine, happy to have her mistress's attention. "Your plane is leaving in a few hours, your bags are packed and your car is ready." Kyra's short blonde curls bounced as she ran back to the staircase and into the closet under the stairs, slamming and locking the door as Maria pounced on it, slashing at the door with her fist.

"Get back out her you little know it all!" She shrieked and Ichiru finally stepped in, catching his wife around the waist and over his shoulder causing her to yelp. "I-Ichiru-kun..?" Zero couldn't help but laugh, earning a death glare from his younger sister. "Shut up, Zero!"

"Arigato, Kyra-chan. We'll be back in six months, make sure Zero-kun doesn't go crazy or hang himself. There's money on the table, in your _proper_ room." Ichiru had taken a shine to the girl –after the terrible twos and the crying was over- and cut her out to be the couple's perfect little assistant. But Maria, forever the opposite, spent her time making the girl's life miserable. For instance the closest room under the staircase that Maria banished Kyra to a week before. Zero had been wondering where Kyra had been disappearing to and had found her in the coat closet only to learn that Maria had been reading the _Harry Potter _books and liked the idea of banishing a child to a closet. Zero rolled his eyes.

"Hai!" Kyra squeaked from the inside. Ichiru walked out the door and away with the furious Kuruizaki princess to their car and next to Fiji. It was in the family to travel as much as possible, whenever possible. Shizuka had been at an old family manor house next to the family graves for some time –said she needed to stay there for a while and think. With so much going on everyone seemed to be getting away, leaving Zero and Kyra the only residence of the house.

"Kyra…you know she's gone. You can come out now."

"No."

Curious Zero stood next to the door. "What _are _you doing in there?"

"Reading." Zero opened the door to glare down at the little girl who bore a lightning bolt scar of her forehead drawn with a red marker and round glasses, holding a book with the male version of her on the cover.

"What the…?"

"Maria."

"Oh." He shut the door again and walked away.

**Kuran**

A cool breeze brushed the back of Yuuki's neck and she turned, only to be shoved back against the opposite wall of the corridor a very male push pushing against the back of hers. She cried out and pale hands brushed the hair away from her neck, cold sinking into her skin making her shiver, before her captor leaned down and pressed a kiss to the base of her throat setting fire to her body.

She growled. It felt good…and wrong.

The hands seized her shoulders and she lashed out, kicking and clawing, but this only made him laugh.

_Rido…_Her blood pulsed faster and he nuzzled almost lovingly into her neck, lower lips tracing her jaguar vein. Imprinting, licking, mesmerizing her scent. His words were small murmurs that she couldn't hear through his open mouthed kisses and the violent scrape of his fangs that marred her perfect skin.

"Yuu-ki…" His hands moved down to hers, locked onto her wrist and moved them across the wall, over her head and pinned them there. Caging her. His fingers laced with hers and locked together as he pushed her harder against the wall; making her neck arch.

His fangs sunk into her skin deeply, not feeding, but _draining. _

Killing her with his roughness and impatience.

She felt violated and helpless, everything she hated about herself welling into her and bled out through the multiple wounds her was creating on her neck and shoulders. She felt numb and wondered how sick someone had to be to actually _enjoy_this. She moaned as his tongue lathered her rapidly healing wounds and she gripped his fingers laced with hers. Kaname, her parents, her friends...she couldn't seem to remember any of their faces right now. Did they really exist? Where were they now? In this moment all Yuuki knew was her, Rido and heat. His hands over her body made her feel alive for a few fleeting seconds until his lust was slatted…

The warmth and cool that had crashed over her now pulled away.

…and Rido disappeared, without a trace, into the shadows his a devilish smirk on his face. And Yuuki...felt her heart ache, her hands reaching out for someone who wasn't there as she slid onto the floor, drawing her legs together and holding them to her chest. Waiting for the guilt and pain and disgust to come…but it didn't. As if it had never been there; Rido had taken it away.

She couldn't feel.

_Don't cry, don't cry…_She cooed to herself and, for once, she held everything in.

* * *

***Peaks out from behind sheild* Are you all mad? *Dodges tomatos* I'm sorry! I was having writer's block and...and...excuses excuses, well I'm back I've mostlikely lost a reader. Damnit now I'm going to start talking to myself again. I re-read the story, gathered my thoughts, got off my ass and typed. It's now...3: 50 now. Love you all. Yes, I've created a love square : Yuuki, Kaname, Zero and now Rido.**

**What can I say I love the drama...and the bad guys. Heehee. So I've got the suspenseful tea party, funny HP scene and *pulls at shirt collar* rather...um, steamy scene with Rido and Yuuki (I wrote it myself) and there will be more of those to tame my own personal demons. I know where this story is going (train wreck I might be driving) I swear I'll continue writing.**

**Show me that there are still people out there!**

**~QueenVamp**


	17. Author's Note

**Hello my readers,**

**Don't worry I'm not going to quit this story, but I am putting it on hold because I have so many other stories I want to write and this one would just get in the way of all that. Don't worry I will finish it.**

**Any concerns you may PM me.**

**~QueenVamp**


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